The Influence of Particulate and Dissolved Material on the Water Clarity of the Littoral Zone.
Abstract
The goals of this project were to quantify the temporal and spatial variations in the optical properties of phytoplankton, tripton and dissolved components in the littoral zones of two different regions. Two experiments were conducted in which water samples were collected simultaneous to in situ profiles of the spectral optical properties (S. Pegau, Oregon State University) and at the sites of moored optical instrumentation (A. Weidemann, NRL). These water samples were analyzed for pigment concentrations and spectrophotometric absorption coefficients (separated into contribution by phytoplankton, tripton, and dissolved components). By separating the total optical coefficients into contributions by various components, the observed variations in optical properties as a function of depth or time can be attributed to one or more of the components. Such analysis allows the variations to be classified as conservative, associated with physical processes (e.g. water mass mixing, passage of internal waves), or non-conservative variations associated with changes in component-specific optical properties (e.g. photoacclimation in phytoplankton, compositional changes in colored dissolved organic matter).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 24, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA325967
Entities
People
- Collin S. Roesler
Organizations
- University of Connecticut