Bio-optical properties as real-time tracers of organic matter transformation in the SML (SP 1.3)

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The sea-surface microlayer (SML) as a thin boundary layer separates the hydrosphere and atmosphere. Often, concentrations of specific compounds are higher in the SML, either by physical concentration from the underlying water, production in the SML, or atmospheric deposition. A well-known aspect is the consistently higher concentration of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) concentration in the SML as compared to the underlying bulk water. Recently, we showed that the inherent optical properties (IOP) –e.g., the light scattering and absorption characteristics of water and its constituents– of the SML can be used to extend the capabilities of characterizing components of the microlayer and provide useful information for radiative transfer and remote-sensing related studies. Further, our past research about optical properties in the SML has been our motivation to propose the use of IOPs, apparent optical properties (AOPs) –derived from spectral radiometric measurements of the light field¬– as well as fluorescence to characterize organic matter (OM) compounds and their transformation for the real-time assessment of the SML as a biological and chemical habitat. In an exceptional manner, this will allow us to study the short-time dynamics of relevant biological and chemical drivers in the SML.