Composition, Texture and Diagenesis of Carbonate Sediments: Effects on Benthic Optical Properties

Our long term goal is to understand how physical and chemical characteristics of bottom sediment affect the optical properties of the shallow sea floor. Of particular interest is sorting out how inorganic and organic parameters of the sediment interrelate to determine benthic light fields. Our research focuses on sedimentologic characteristics of carbonate grains. Specific objectives are (1) to determine feedback mechanisms between mineralogical and textural (e.g. size, shape, surface roughness, density, and packing) sediment parameters, light fields within the sediment, and benthic biological community structure and organic production, and (2) to use these relationships to model spectral reflectance and its contribution to the upwelling component of scalar irradiance.
See also ADM002252. The original document contains color images.