Quantifying the response of optical backscatter devices and transmissometers to variations in suspended particulate matter |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Marine Geophysical Laboratory, School of Earth Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia;2. School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales Bangor, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd, LL59 5EY, UK;1. Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia;2. Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan;3. School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand;1. Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, North 10 West 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan;2. Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, North 10 West 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan;3. National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan;4. Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan;5. CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, North 10 West 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan;1. School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Wenyuan Road 1, Nanjing 210023, China;2. Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands;3. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1003, USA |
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| Abstract: | Optical instruments have been used effectively in studies of sediment dynamics for several decades. Without accurate instrument calibrations, calculated concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) may be unreliable, with implications for interpretations of sedimentary processes and sediment fluxes. This review aims to quantify the effect of variations in SPM characteristics on the response of optical instruments (optical backscatter sensors OBS and transmissometers) and to note the implications for users of these instruments. A number of factors have a significant impact on instrument response, for example; a change in grain size from medium sands to fine silts may lead to a×100 increase in instrument response; flocculation of fine particles may decrease instrument response by×2; and the presence of plankton in suspension may lead to poor instrument calibrations of SPM concentration. Calibrations carried out in environments either with multi-modal bottom sediments, where flocculation of fine-grained sediments is likely, or where the hydrodynamics or grain type are highly variable must also include a determination of the changing nature of the suspended load in space and time. A more complete understanding of instrument response to SPM and of calibration requirements may enable optical devices to be used to a greater potential as long-term measures of SPM concentration, and also enable improvements in calculations of net sediment fluxes. |
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