3:30 PM - 3:45 PM
[ACG38-06] Determining the Inherent Optical Properties of Various Water Quality Parameters in Tangalan, Philippines
Keywords:inherent optical properties, water quality parameters, light environment modeling, Philippine waters
The optical properties of seawater significantly impact the amount of light coming to the water column, which in turn determines the primary production of autotrophic species. Relating these optical properties to specific water quality parameters has been of great interest to many researchers (Lee, 1994; Woźniak, 2011) in order to better understand their effects on light attenuation and to help model the light environment in the ocean. While these relationships are well-studied in open oceans (i.e., case I waters), these relationships become more complicated in case II waters, or waters affected not just by phytoplankton, but sediments and dissolved matter as well (Morel and Prieur, 1977).
The people of Tangalan in Aklan, Philippines depend on Tangalan Bay and the Puntod Reef for aquaculture and ecotourism purposes. With vibrant seagrasses and coral reefs, it is necessary to model the light environment to determine the production of these resources. Waters across thirteen points in Tangalan Bay and Puntod Reef in Aklan, Philippines were sampled and several parameters, both water quality and inherent optical properties (IOPs), were collected. These water quality parameters included total suspended solids (TSS), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and several nutrients (NO2-, NO3-, NH4+, PO43-, SiO2). The IOPs collected include the absorption coefficients of total particles, inorganic particles, and dissolved matter.
The preliminary results show that there is a good correlation between the absorption coefficient of total particles at 440nm with POC and the absorption coefficient of organic particles at 675nm with Chl-a. While not having a good relationship, the results between the absorption coefficient of total particles at 440nm with Chl-a suggest that there are other factors affecting the total particle absorption. The full analysis is still underway, which includes further correlation analysis, and the addition of derived parameters such as the particulate organic matter (POM) and the particulate inorganic matter (PIM). In addition, the light environment of Tangalan will be modeled using the COAWST modeling system after the determination of suitable relationships between the IOPs and the water quality parameters.
The people of Tangalan in Aklan, Philippines depend on Tangalan Bay and the Puntod Reef for aquaculture and ecotourism purposes. With vibrant seagrasses and coral reefs, it is necessary to model the light environment to determine the production of these resources. Waters across thirteen points in Tangalan Bay and Puntod Reef in Aklan, Philippines were sampled and several parameters, both water quality and inherent optical properties (IOPs), were collected. These water quality parameters included total suspended solids (TSS), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and several nutrients (NO2-, NO3-, NH4+, PO43-, SiO2). The IOPs collected include the absorption coefficients of total particles, inorganic particles, and dissolved matter.
The preliminary results show that there is a good correlation between the absorption coefficient of total particles at 440nm with POC and the absorption coefficient of organic particles at 675nm with Chl-a. While not having a good relationship, the results between the absorption coefficient of total particles at 440nm with Chl-a suggest that there are other factors affecting the total particle absorption. The full analysis is still underway, which includes further correlation analysis, and the addition of derived parameters such as the particulate organic matter (POM) and the particulate inorganic matter (PIM). In addition, the light environment of Tangalan will be modeled using the COAWST modeling system after the determination of suitable relationships between the IOPs and the water quality parameters.