A previously developed model was modified to derive three phytoplankton size classes (micro-, nano-, and pico-phytoplankton) from the overall chlorophyll-a concentration, assuming that each class has a specific absorption coefficient. The modified model performed well using in-situ data from the northern South China Sea, and the results were reliable and accurate. The relative errors of the size-fractioned chlorophyll-a concentration for each size class were: micro-:21%, nano-:41%, pico-:26%, and nano+pico:23%. The model was then applied on ocean color remote sensing data to examine the distribution and variation of phytoplankton size classes in northern South China Sea on a large scale.
