Optical variability in the ocean

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Prediction of the optical properties of the upper ocean is of central importance in oceanography. These properties regulate the penetration of visible radiation with ramifications for both physical and biological oceanographic processes. Solar radiation absorbed in the upper layers heats and stabilizes the ocean; as a result, variability in the rate of attenuation of visible radiation plays a strong role in the upper ocean thermal structure and dynamics. Absorbed radiation is responsible for driving the photosynthetic process on which life in the sea depends. For applied interests, the attenuation of visible wavelengths dictates the effective transmission from point and diffuse sources either at the sea surface, or at depth. The goals of my research program are to examine both the sources of variability in ocean optical properties, and to evaluate the effect of this variability on both oceanic biogeochemical cycles and the physical climate interactions: