A Diver-Operated Optical and Physical Profiling System

Abstract

A new instrument package for measuring physical (temperature, salinity, and depth) as well as optical (absorption and attenuation at nine wavelength) parameters using SCUBA is described. The package is attached to the SCUBA bottle and allows for sampling very close to the sediment–water and water–air interfaces. This package can also provide measurements of sediment pore water properties using a 0.2-μm prefilter. Data recently collected with the package highlight the variability in the optical properties between areas with different bottom substrate (coral, sea grass, and sand) and the importance of pore water in productive sediments as sources of colored dissolved organic matter.