Light Attenuation at Molasses Reef

• Main Author: Ashley Earls
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of South Florida 2010-01-01
• Series: Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two
• Subjects: Available Light, Rate of Light Decline, Coral Reef
• Online Access: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/ujmm/vol3/iss1/20

Estimating the amount of light available at different depths of the ocean is important for gaining a better understanding of coral reefs. It is especially useful to be able to get such estimates without having to perform direct measurements. Although accurate, the direct measurements are costly, time consuming, and usually limited to relatively small areas of interest. One statistic that could be useful for estimating the amount of available light is the rate at which it declines with depth (the rate of light attenuation). In this project, this rate is calculated for four different wavelengths using data for 30m water column profile collected in upper Florida Keys. The rate of light attenuation is calculated for the entire profile as well as the intervals corresponding to 5m increments.