From Ocean Teacher Library

Optical Oceanographic Measurements

Contents 1 Background 2 Inherent Optical Properties of Seawater 3 Apparent Optical Properties of Seawater 4 Additional Resources 5 Subsections of this Article 6 Information about this article 7 Contact

Background

• This very brief description is not intended to provide fundamental instruction in optical oceanography; as with all OceanTeacher materials, we leave basic marine education to the colleges and universities. This article merely provides a conceptual framework and terminology for data managers who may have a slightly different specific background, but who have marine data responsibilities.
• This article is concerned with in-situ marine optics measurements. Remotely sensed optical properties, from which many of the parameters below may be inferred or estimated, is covered at Remote Sensing Measurements.
• The Introduction below by McCormick is an excellent brief overview of optical oceanography.
• The Glossary below, by McCormick and Mobley, provides definitions for the terms below and, in many cases, the units of measurement.
• The measurements listed below were taken from the Worldwide Ocean Optics Database, so they are a good indicator of the data actually being taken today and/or published. Derived quantities have not been included

Inherent Optical Properties of Seawater

• Light scattering
  • Scattering coefficient
  • Angular backscattering coefficient
  • Backscatter coefficient
• Light absorption
  • Absorption coefficient
  • Spectral particulate absorption
  • Spectral gelbstoff absorption
  • Spectral dissolved absorption
• Yellow matter (gelbstoff) fluorescence
• Relative fluorescence
• Bioluminescence

Apparent Optical Properties of Seawater

• Beam attenuation coefficient
• Diffuse attenuation coefficient
• Downwelling irradiance
• Particulate beam attenuation
• Secchi depth
• Surface downwelling irradiance
• Turbidity
• Upwelling radiance
• Spectral upwelling radiance
• Upwelling irradiance
• Photosynthetically active radiance (PAR)
• Spectral downwelling irradiance.

Additional Resources

• Introduction to Optical Oceanography - Brief summary of main topics, with major textbooks referenced, by Norman McCormick.
• Optical Oceanography Glossary
• Inherent Optical Properties of Natural Seawater

Subsections of this Article

No subsections available

Information about this article

Short title: Optical Measurements

Description: This article is intended to provide a brief introduction to the types of data and products involved in this discipline. It is not a general introduction to the discipline itself.

Expertise level: beginner

Author: Murray.Brown

Approval status: approved

Approved by: Murray.Brown

Last change: 2009-9-24

Subsection of: Marine Data Concepts

Contact

If you have any direct comments or suggestions for the author of this page then please feel free to send an email to the author (listed above). For discussions on this page please use the discussions page.,