The lidar investigation of the upper water layer fluorescence spectra of the Baltic Sea

Abstract

Marine water in coastal areas and open zone of the Baltic Sea is characterized by complex biophysical structure caused by mixing of different water masses and high human impact. Our lidar investigation of the Baltic upper seawater layer allows obtaining, in real-time and without disturbing the aquatic medium, the continuous fluorescence spectra of seawater in visible range of light. These spectra provide the information about concentration of Chlorophyll a (Chl a) and humus-type (HS) of colour dissolved organic matter (CDOM) as well as allow distinguishing coastal and open-sea waters.