Absorption coefficient of CDOM in Zhejiang coastal waters

Abstract

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) exists in all natural waters. Researches on optical properties of CDOM play an important role in ocean color remote sensing retrieval. The optical properties of CDOM in Zhejiang coastal waters were investigated from August 18, 2009 to June 9, 2011 covering four seasons. Based on the measured data, the distribution of the absorption coefficient of CDOM was analyzed. The results showed that absorption coefficient at 440 nm (a(440)) decreased with the offshore direction, and the relatively high value of a(440) was observed generally in the coastal waters and low value in the adjacent waters. The distribution reflected the terrigenous origin characteristics of CDOM. The relationship between salinity and a(440) of the four seasons was discussed. The results demonstrated that a(440) had a significant negative linear relationship with the salinity. That is to say, CDOM took on the conservative behavior in the research region.