Inherent and apparent optical measurements in the Hudson/Raritan estuary

Abstract

During an August, 1999 field campaign, measurements were made to establish hydrologic optical properties of the Hudson/Raritan Estuary (New York-New Jersey): 1) concurrent above-and below-surface spectral irradiance; 2) sampling for laboratory determination of inherent optical properties; and 3) concentrations of optically-important water quality parameters. We used a bio optical model based on to predict the subsurface irradiance reflectance from optically important water constituents. This model was then validated with the measured reflectance spectra from the field spectroradiometers. Modeling of reflectance is a prerequisite for processing remote sensing data to desired thematic maps. These are key input to the geographic information system (GIS) used to manage the water quality condition of the estuary. [KEYWORDS: Bio-optical modeling; Geographic information system (GIS); Remote sensing; Spectral irradiance reflectance; Water quality parameters]