title: Biogeo-optics: particle optical properties and the partitioning of the spectral scattering coefficient of ocean waters.
abstract: We propose a direct method of partitioning the particulate spectral scattering coefficient of the marine hydrosol based on the concurrent determination of the concentrations of particulate mineral and organic matter (the total mass of optically active scattering material exclusive of water) with the particulate spectral scattering coefficient. For this we derive a Model II multiple linear regression model. The multiple linear regression of the particulate spectral scattering coefficient against the independent variables, the concentrations of particulate inorganic matter and particulate organic matter, yields their mass-specific spectral scattering cross sections. The mass-specific spectral scattering cross section is simply the particle scattering cross section normalized to the particle mass, a fundamental optical efficiency parameter for the attenuation of electromagnetic radiation [Absorption and Scattering of Light by Small Particles, (Wiley-Interscience, 1983), pp. 80-81, 289]. It is possible to infer the optical properties of the suspended matter from the mass-specific spectral scattering cross sections. From these cross sections we partition the particulate spectral scattering coefficient into its major components.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA. stavnr@uncg.edu
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Stavn
authors.forename: Scott J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Richter
mesh_terms: D055593:Geological Phenomena; D005844:Geology; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D010316:Particle Size; D011827:Radiation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000379:methods; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water