Optical Properties of Mineral Particles and the Inversion of Ocean Surface Reflectance in Coastal Waters

摘要

The long-term goal of this research is to develop the base of knowledge necessary to: (i) understand the magnitudes and variability of the inherent and apparent optical properties of the ocean; (ii) predict the inherent absorption and scattering properties of sea water and the apparent properties such as remotely sensed reflectance, given the types and concentration of suspended particles; (iii) retrieve the concentration of optically significant constituents of sea water from reflectance measurements. Although mineral particles are a major optical component of coastal ocean, very little work has been done on characterizing the absorption and scattering properties of the various mineral particle assemblages occurring in marine environments. My goal for this past fiscal year was to begin a study of the optical properties of mineral particles. Specific objectives were to: (i) expand single-particle optical property database by determining optical cross- sections and scattering phase functions for generic mineral particles, organic detrital particles, and air bubbles; (ii) conduct a field experiment for the purpose of measuring the inherent and apparent optical properties within a marine environment that exhibits dramatic variations in the optical water type, from the mineral-dominated to phytoplankton-dominated type.