Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Optics And Remote Sensing Of Bahamian Carbonate Sediment Whitings And Potential Relationship To Wind-Driven Langmuir Circulation, H. M. Dierssen, Richard C. Zimmerman, David J. Burdige

OES Faculty Publications

Regions of milky white seas or "whitings" periodically occur to the west of Andros Island along the Great Bahama Bank where the bottom sediment consists of fine-grained aragonite mud. We present measurements of inherent optical properties within a sediment whiting patch and discuss the potential for monitoring the frequency, extent, and quantity of suspended matter from ocean colour satellite imagery. Sea spectral reflectance measured in situ and remotely from space revealed highly reflective waters elevated across the visible spectrum (i.e., "whitened") with a peak at 490 nm. Particulate backscattering was an order of magnitude higher than that measured at other …