CDOM Absorption Research Articles

Evaluation of the different levels of variability in the underwater light field of a shallow estuary

The underwater light climate of a shallow estuary located at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea has been investigated, with special emphasis on the spectral irradiance composition and on short-term irradiance fluctuations caused by vertical mixing and wave focussing. The inherent optical properties of the water body were dominated by phytoplankton pigment absorption in the long-wavelength range and by coloured, dissolved organic matter (cDOM) absorption in the wavelength range <500 nm, including ultraviolet-A (UV-A) and ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B). Pronounced particulate scattering combined with the absorption values to give very high attenuation coefficients, especially for the shorter wavelengths of UV-B radiation. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was found to be reduced to 1% of the surface value within 0.8 m in the inner, hypertrophic end of the estuary and within 1.9 m in the outer, eutrophic parts of this system, with corresponding 1% penetration depths for UV-B of 0.13 and 0.31 m. During late winter and early spring, the period when reduced atmospheric ozone concentrations and enhanced UV-B have been reported over northern Europe, the irradiance levels in the water column were greatly reduced, due to strong attenuation by ice cover and overlying snow. cDOM concentration of the water was also found to remain at a high level during these periods, and indeed throughout the year, thus reducing the exposure of organisms to UV-R and PAR still further. A complex irradiance regime was found in this system, with irregular and high amplitude fluctuations caused by wind-induced vertical mixing and wave focussing being superimposed upon the solar-angle-dependent seasonal and daily cycles. The methods used to quantify the short-term fluctuations are described, and their relevance to phytoplankton physiology is discussed. The wave-focussing effect is unique to the aquatic environment, and measurements showed that average subsurface irradiances could be increased by up to 5 times for periods lasting for <1 s. The highest irradiances recorded during wave-focussing events reached over 9,000 µmol photons m–2 s–1.

Seasonal dynamics of colored dissolved material in the Sargasso Sea

Observations from the Sargasso Sea have shown that the light attenuation spectrum is a function of both phytoplankton pigments and a detrital-like component that varies independently. Here we examine the nature and dynamics of these detrital-like variations by analyzing a time-depth series of visible and ultraviolet light absorption spectra for colored (chromophoric) dissolved materials [CDOM; ag(λ)] and detrital particulates [ad(λ)] collected at the US JGOFS Bermuda Atlantic time-series study (BATS) site. At 440nm, CDOM absorption, ag(440), made up of on an average more than one-half of the total non-water absorption coefficient, while detrital particulate absorption, ad(440), was generally a minor constituent. The vertically integrated stock of CDOM (0–140m) increased from the beginning of spring until the end of summer in 1994 and 1995, although near-surface values (⩽40m) were strongly depressed near the surface at the peak of summer. This summertime reduction of the mixed layer ag(λ) is likely due to photooxidation of CDOM to optically inactive forms. Further, values of CDOM absorption were unrelated directly to indices of total water column dissolved organic carbon (DOC) stocks measured at BATS. We hypothesize that CDOM is produced as a by-product of the microbial breakdown of DOC and is destroyed due to photooxidation. Summertime CDOM dynamics at this site can be quantified with these two processes, as mixing below the summertime mixed layer can be assumed to be small. Our results imply, for the first time in the blue ocean, a link between microbial community activity and CDOM dynamics and clearly provide an explanation for the nature of non-chlorophyll light attenuation observed in the Sargasso Sea.

An experimental model of the solar‐stimulated fluorescence of chromophoric dissolved organic matter

We present an experimental model of CDOM solar‐stimulated fluorescence. Three‐dimensional fluorescence spectra of natural waters were used to determine the solar‐stimulated emission as a function of depth in the water column. Inclusion of the wavelength‐dependent fluorescence quantum yield provides emission values in absolute units of photons s−1 cm−2 5 nm−1. Attenuation of light in the water column was also modeled, allowing determination of total upwelled emission. The upwelled fluorescence is compared to irradiance reflectance calculated from a semianalytical model. The fluorescence contribution to reflectance in the blue‐green to green region can be as high as 70% for blackwater but is rapidly reduced by the introduction of scattering particles. Except for blackwaters, CDOM fluorescence does not significantly affect irradiance reflectance ratios commonly used in remote‐sensing applications. In water with moderate amounts of CDOM (absorption coefficient at 355 nm ≥0.5 m−1), fluorescence will dominate water Raman scattering as a secondary influence on the light field in the green spectral region.