Colored Dissolved Organic Matter in Sediments and Seagrass Beds and Its Impact on Shallow Water Benthic Optical Properties
Abstract
The optical properties of shallow water coastal environments are a complex function of physical and biogeochemical processes occurring both in the sediments and in the water column. Developing models of the optical properties of these environments requires further knowledge of the processes affecting light alteration and modification by biogeochemical reactions in the surficial sediments and at the sediment-water interface. The goal of this proposal is to examine one aspect of this problem, namely the impact of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in sediment pore waters on benthic optical properties. In this proposal I am examining the processes affecting the production of colored and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in sediment pore waters, the mechanism(s) by which this material may be transported out of the sediments, and the impact of pore water CDOM on the optical properties of the shallow water benthos (i.e., both the sediments, the sediment-water interface and the waters overlying the sediment, including the benthic boundary layer).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA578674
Entities
People
- David J. Burdige
Organizations
- Old Dominion University