Characterization of the Chemical and Associated Optical Properties of CDOM: Transformations in Fresh to Marine Transition Zones
Abstract
The long-term primary scientific objective of our research for ONR is to develop an understanding of the physical and chemical processes affecting chromophoric dissolved organic material (CDOM) and the resultant attenuation changes of ultraviolet and visible radiation in seawater. In the open ocean, optical properties are relatively stable in comparison to coastal environments where complex variations of sources, sinks, and modification processes can result in dynamic and heterogeneous changes to the optical characteristics (attenuation, color, fluorescence)of the surface ocean. CDOM exhibits unusual optical properties, such as an absorption spectrum that is characterized by a featureless exponential increase with decreasing wavelength that makes differentiating betweens sources (soil, riverine, oceanic) difficult. Our inability to understand these properties results from the limited structural information available on CDOM at the molecular level. Progress on the characterization of CDOM in seawater has been limited by the inability of available techniques to deal with the complex nature of this material. To address these issues, it is necessary to develop unambiguous separation or extraction methods and then to examine the relationship between the optical properties and the structural features of CDOM.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA629785
Entities
People
- Rod G. Zika
Organizations
- University of Miami