Marine optics

The common environmental policies of both the European Union and the Oslo-Paris convention (OSPAR) are underpinned by the role of phytoplankton biomass and its impact on living marine resources and their sustainable development.

 

Matching optical measurements of the water column with satellite data can result in high spatial and temporal coverage of phytoplankton biomass which can be used to add to our understanding of the dynamics of phytoplankton in relation to human activities.

 

PML has over 20 years of experience in the field of bio-optical oceanography and providing quantitative observations of the atmosphere and ocean. This is done by the collection of quality assured in situ observations at regular sampling sites in the English Channel and on research cruises. These "sea-truth" observations are made with a range of state-of-the-art in situ optical instruments and the results are then used to calibrate and validate satellite data to relate ocean colour to in-water constituents such as phytoplankton biomass.

 

PML’s marine optics research activities include quantitative Earth observations, bio-optical and atmospheric models, quantification of phytoplankton and measurement of particulate and dissolved optical properties.


Projects

  • Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT)
    The Atlantic Meridional Transect is a multidisciplinary programme, co-ordinated by PML, which undertakes biological, chemical and physical oceanographic research during an annual voyage between the UK and destinations in the South Atlantic, a distance of up to 13,500km. This transect crosses a range of ecosystems from sub-polar to tropical and from euphotic shelf seas and upwelling systems to oligotrophic mid-ocean gyres.
  • Western Channel Observatory (WCO)
    The Western Channel Observatory is an oceanographic time-series and marine biodiversity reference site in the Western English Channel that has been operating for over a century and is currently maintained by PML.
  • Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS)
    PML has organised a series of six cruises onboard the RRS Discovery as a contribution to the UK SOLAS programme.  The international SOLAS programme aims to achieve quantitative understanding of the key biogeochemical-physical interactions and feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere, and of how this coupled system affects and is affected by climate and environmental change.