Bio-Optical Properties of the Arabian Sea as Determined by In Situ and Sea WiFS Data

The overall objective of this work was to characterize optical and fluorescence properties in the euphotic zone during two British Ocean Flux Study (BOFS) Arabian Sea cruises. This was later expanded in 1995 to include three U.S. JGOFS Arabian Sea Cruises. The region was to be divided into one or more "bio-optical provinces," within each of which a single set of regression models was to be developed to relate the vertical distribution of irradiance attenuation and normalized fluorescence (SF and NF) to remote sensing reflectance and diffuse attenuation coefficient. The working hypothesis was that over relatively large spatial and temporal scales, the vertical profiles of bio-optical properties were predictable. The specific technical objectives were: (1) To characterize the vertical distribution of the inherent and apparent optical properties by measuring downwelling and upwelling irradiances, upwelling radiances, scalar irradiance of PAR, and beam transmissions at each station - from these data, spectral diffuse attenuation coefficients, irradiance reflectances, remote sensing reflectances, surface-leaving radiances and beam attenuation coefficients were determined; (2) To characterize the spectral absorption of total particulate, detrital, and dissolved organic material at each station from discrete water samples; (3) To describe the vertical distribution of photoadaptive properties in the water column by measuring profiles of stimulated (SF) and natural (NF) fluorescence and examining relationships between SF and NF as a function of diffuse optical depth, pigment biomass and primary productivity; and (4) To establish locally derived, in-water algorithms relating remote sensing reflectance spectra to diffuse attenuation coefficients, phytoplankton pigment concentrations and primary productivity, through intercomparisons with in situ measurements, for application to SeaWiFS data

Effects of integration time on in-water radiometric profiles

This work investigates the effects of integration time on in-water downward irradiance E-d, upward irradiance E-u and upwelling radiance L-u profile data acquired with free-fall hyperspectral systems. Analyzed quantities are the subsurface value and the diffuse attenuation coefficient derived by applying linear and non-linear regression schemes. Case studies include oligotrophic waters (Case-1), as well as waters dominated by colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and non-algal particles (NAP). Assuming a 24-bit digitization, measurements resulting from the accumulation of photons over integration times varying between 8 and 2048ms are evaluated at depths corresponding to: 1) the beginning of each integration interval (FST); 2) the end of each integration interval (LST); 3) the averages of FST and LST values (AVG); and finally 4) the values weighted accounting for the diffuse attenuation coefficient of water (WGT). Statistical figures show that the effects of integration time can bias results well above 5% as a function of the depth definition. Results indicate the validity of the WGT depth definition and the fair applicability of the AVG one. Instead, both the FST and LST depths should not be adopted since they may introduce pronounced biases in E-u and L-u regression products for highly absorbing waters. Finally, the study reconfirms the relevance of combining multiple radiometric casts into a single profile to increase precision of regression products. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Albedo and laser threshold of a diffusive Raman gain medium

The diffuse reflectance (albedo) and transmittance of a Raman random gain medium are calculated via semi-analytic two-stream equations with power-dependent coefficients. The results show good agreement with the experimental data for barium nitrate powder. Both the Raman albedo AR and Raman transmittance TR diverge at a critical gain gc, interpreted as the threshold for diffusive Raman laser generation. However, the ratio TR/AR approaches a finite limiting value dependent on particle scattering albedo v and scattering asymmetry g. The dependence of the generation threshold on the scattering parameters is analysed and the feedback effect of Fresnel reflection at the gain boundaries evaluated. The addition of external mirrors, particularly at the pumped surface, significantly reduces the threshold gain.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

Using Moored Arrays and Hyperspectral Aerial Imagery to Develop Nutrient Criteria for New Hampshire\u27s Estuaries

Increasing nitrogen concentrations and declining eelgrass beds in Great Bay, NH are clear indicators of impending problems for the state’s estuaries. A workgroup established in 2005 by the NH Department of Environmental Services and the NH Estuaries Project (NHEP) adopted eelgrass survival as the water quality target for nutrient criteria development for NH’s estuaries. In 2007, the NHEP received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to collect water quality information including that from moored sensors and hyper-spectral imagery data of the Great Bay Estuary. Data from the Great Bay Coastal Buoy, part of the regional Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), were used to derive a multivariate model of water clarity with phytoplankton, Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM), and non-algal particles. Non-algal particles include both inorganic and organic matter. Most of the temporal variability in the diffuse attenuation coefficient of Photosynthetically Available Radiation (PAR) was associated with non-algal particles. However, on a mean daily basis non-algal particles and CDOM contributed a similar fraction (~30 %) to the attenuation of light. The contribution of phytoplankton was about a third of the other two optically important constituents. CDOM concentrations varied with salinity and magnitude of riverine inputs demonstrating its terrestrial origin. Non-algal particle concentration also varied with river flow but also wind driven resuspension. Twelve of the NHEP estuarine assessment zones were observed with the hyperspectral aerial imagery on August 29 and October 17. A concurrent in situ effort included buoy measurements, continuous along-track sampling, discrete water grab samples, and vertical profiles of light attenuation. PAR effective attenuation coefficients retrieved from deep water regions in the imagery agreed well with in-situ observations. Water clarity was lower and optically important constituent concentrations were higher in the tributaries. Eelgrass survival depth, estimated as the depth at which 22% of surface light was available, ranged from less than half a meter to over two meters. The best water clarity was found in the Great Bay (GB), Little Bay (LB), and Lower Piscataqua River (LPR) assessment zones. Absence of eelgrass from these zones would indicate controlling factors other than water clarity

Remote estimation of the diffuse attenuation coefficient in a moderately turbid estuary

Abstract Solutions of the radiative transfer equation are used to derive relationships of water reflectance to the diffuse attenuation coefficient (K) in moderately turbid water (K \u3e 0.5 m−1). Data sets collected from the NOAA AVHRR and in situ observations from five different dates confirm the appropriateness of these relationships, in particular the logistic equation. Values of K calculated from the reflectance data agree to within 60% of the observed values, although the reflectance derived using a more comprehensive aerosol correction is sensitive to chlorophyll concentrations greater than 50 μg L−1. Agreement between in situ and remote observations improves as the time interval between samples is narrowed

Light attenuation characteristics of glacially-fed lakes

Transparency is a fundamental characteristic of aquatic ecosystems and is highly responsive to changes in climate and land use. The transparency of glacially-fed lakes may be a particularly sensitive sentinel characteristic of these changes. However, little is known about the relative contributions of glacial flour versus other factors affecting light attenuation in these lakes. We sampled 18 glacially-fed lakes in Chile, New Zealand, and the U.S. and Canadian Rocky Mountains to characterize how dissolved absorption, algal biomass (approximated by chlorophyll a), water, and glacial flour contributed to attenuation of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400–700 nm). Variation in attenuation across lakes was related to turbidity, which we used as a proxy for the concentration of glacial flour. Turbidity-specific diffuse attenuation coefficients increased with decreasing wavelength and distance from glaciers. Regional differences in turbidity-specific diffuse attenuation coefficients were observed in short UVR wavelengths (305 and 320 nm) but not at longer UVR wavelengths (380 nm) or PAR. Dissolved absorption coefficients, which are closely correlated with diffuse attenuation coefficients in most non-glacially-fed lakes, represented only about one quarter of diffuse attenuation coefficients in study lakes here, whereas glacial flour contributed about two thirds across UVR and PAR. Understanding the optical characteristics of substances that regulate light attenuation in glacially-fed lakes will help elucidate the signals that these systems provide of broader environmental changes and forecast the effects of climate change on these aquatic ecosystems