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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 110, C11020, doi:10.1029/2005JC003008, 2005

Optical properties of the particles in the Crimea coastal waters (Black Sea)

M. Chami

Laboratoire Océanographie de Villefranche, UMR-CNRS 7093, Villefranche sur Mer, France

E. B. Shybanov

Marine Hydrophysical Institute, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Sevastopol, Ukraine

T. Y. Churilova

Institute of Biology of Southern Seas, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Sevastopol, Ukraine

G. A. Khomenko

Laboratoire d'Océanographie Côtière du Littoral, Université du Littoral, Cote d'Opale, Wimereux, France

M. E.-G. Lee

Marine Hydrophysical Institute, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Sevastopol, Ukraine

O. V. Martynov

Marine Hydrophysical Institute, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Sevastopol, Ukraine

G. A. Berseneva

Institute of Biology of Southern Seas, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Sevastopol, Ukraine

G. K. Korotaev

Marine Hydrophysical Institute, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Sevastopol, Ukraine

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out in summer 2002 on an oceanographic platform near the coast of Crimea, in the Black Sea. For the first time, the spectral volume scattering function (VSF) was measured for a wide range of scattering angles (i.e., from 0.6 to 177.3 degrees) using a recently developed device. Our analysis revealed that the mineral particles are the primary component influencing the scattering and backscattering coefficient in the study area. The good correlation obtained between the backscattering coefficient b_bp and the nonalgal particles absorption coefficient showed that the absorption efficiency of the mineral particles is high in the second half of the experiment. The ratio Chla/c_p (where Chla is the chlorophyll a concentration and c_p is the beam attenuation coefficient) did not correlate with the backscattering ratio and thus could not be used in this experiment as an alternative proxy to estimate the bulk composition of the particles. The spectral variation of b_p (the scattering coefficient) and b_bp (the backscattering coefficient) was less steep than what can be found in the open ocean waters. That was explained by the influence of the absorption on the scattering process, especially in the blue, as a consequence of the anomalous dispersion. The average backscattering ratio _bp varied spectrally within 4%. Nevertheless, a high spectral variability of _bp (around 30%) was observed suggesting that the use of a flat spectral variation is not accurate in coastal zones.

Received 18 April 2005; accepted 22 August 2005; published 30 November 2005.

Keywords: ocean optics; scattering.

Index Terms: 4264 Oceanography: General: Ocean optics (0649); 0422 Biogeosciences: Bio-optics; 4223 Oceanography: General: Descriptive and regional oceanography.

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Citation: Chami, M., E. B. Shybanov, T. Y. Churilova, G. A. Khomenko, M. E.-G. Lee, O. V. Martynov, G. A. Berseneva, and G. K. Korotaev (2005), Optical properties of the particles in the Crimea coastal waters (Black Sea), J. Geophys. Res., 110, C11020, doi:10.1029/2005JC003008.

Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.