Can the Known Models of Seawater Optical Properties Be Applied to the Baltic Sea?

Levin I., Darecki.M., Sagan S., Kowalczuk P., Zdun A., Radomyslskaya T., Rodionov M.

Commonly used optical models of natural waters have been analyzed in the context of their applicability in the Baltic Sea. By use of a large data set collected at the Baltic, we found that published before relationships between scattering, attenuation and backscattering coefficients at wavelength 550 nm in ocean waters are valid for Baltic as well. When the same data were used for validation of the relationships connecting absorption and scattering coefficients of the chlorophyll and absorption coefficients of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) with chlorophyll concentration, the result shows a large discrepancy, disqualifying them in the omplicated environment of the Baltic Sea.

Download original text