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Abstract:
This project investigates the seasonal variation in the in-water optical properties of the Chesapeake Bay estuary. Understanding this variability allows for the proper employment of optical measurement techniques as well as a foundation for accurate interpretation of remotely sensed visible imagery. The absorption and scattering properties of the Bay water column can be expected to change with major physical variations. The most significant source of physical variation in the Bay is associated with the fall destratification or mixing event. As autumn progresses, atmospheric cooling causes a temperature inversion in the water column, thereby weakening the salinity-stratified pycnocline. Combining this inversion with increased winds associated with fall storm systems causes a top to bottom mixing of the water column. An intensive study combining in situ hydrographic and optical measurements as well as laboratory characterization of the suspended load is performed across a destratification event in the northern Bay. These data and analysis are combined with theoretical modeling to characterize the physical variation in terms of changes in the absorption, scattering, and hence suspended load properties of the Bay.
| Limitations: |
 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE |
| Pages: |
74 |
| Report Date: |
08 MAY 1999 |
| Report Number: |
A276673 |
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