Coastal Benthic Optical Properties (CoBOP): Optical Properties of Benthic Marine Organisms and Substrates

摘要

Research was conducted as part of the ONR Departmental Research Initiative in Coastal Benthic Optical Properties (CoBOP). The long-term objective of our research is to gain an understanding of the nature and significance of fluorescence and reflectance characteristics of benthic marine organisms in general, and coral reef cnidarians in particular. We wish to determine how biological processes act to produce the optical properties and how optical measurements can be used to provide insight into biological state or process. The specific goals of our work included measurement of the excitation/ emission properties of fluorescent pigments; collaboration in biochemical identification of the pigments, and development of in situ instrument and techniques for fluorescence imaging and measurement. Specific project results include: collection and distribution of several hundred measurements of fluorescence and reflectance of corals and other benthic organisms; development of a mle-based classifier that could be used with multispectral imagery collected by the Fluorescence Imaging Laser Line Scanner to perform automated classification of benthic surfaces; refinement of a mathematical model combining measured and modeled data to quantify the contribution of fluorescence to the spectral signature and apparent color of corals; and characterization of the green-fluorescent pigment in corals.