In-water light attenuation and remote sensing of coastal waters and riverine ecosystems

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This application requests support for my research program in the remote sensing of coastal waters and riverine ecosystems, with a focus on three related topics: (i) relationships between the in-water spectral light field, water optical constituents, and water surface reflectance; (ii) development of satellite-based optical models to quantify organic and inorganic matter in aquatic ecosystems; and (iii) carbon reservoirs and hydrodynamics of tropical wetlands. In optically complex costal and riverine waters, not only phytoplankton attenuates light, this also occurs due to dissolved organic and suspended inorganic matter (all together they are referred to as optical water constituents). The varying mix of these constituents makes these waters complex and therefore it is difficult to use satellite imagery to estimate concentrations of them. How light is attenuated by different constituents and how the intensity and spectral quality of available light affects the distribution of the constituents are important questions that my program is researching in different regions of the world. I am studying two globally important ecosystems: coastal systems represented by the Strait of Georgia on the west coast of Canada; and riverine systems represented by the Amazonian rivers in Brazil. The results of the proposed research will improve our understanding of aquatic processes such as phytoplankton distribution and productivity, water stratification, water quality, aquatic ecology, and impacts of land use on costal and riverine ecosystems. The requested funds will dominantly support one PhD and two MSc students, as well as some of the fieldwork, analysis, and lab supplies.