Optical and biogeochemical properties of diverse Belgian inland and coastal waters

Abstract. From 2017 to 2019, an extensive sampling campaign was conducted in Belgian inland and coastal waters, aimed at providing paired data of optical biogeochemical properties support research into monitoring aquatic systems. The focused on with four lakes a lagoon during the growth season, addition samples opportunity from other lakes. Campaigns also included Scheldt estuary over tidal cycle two campaigns zone. Measured parameters include inherent (absorption, scattering beam attenuation coefficients, near-forward volume function, turbidity), apparent (Secchi disc depth, substrate water-leaving Lambert-equivalent bi-hemispherical reflectance), (suspended particulate matter, mineral fraction particle mass, size distribution, pigment concentration, DNA metabarcoding, flow microscopy counts, bottom type classification). diversity water bodies environmental conditions covered wide range system states. chlorophyll concentration varied 0.63 382.72 mg m−3, while suspended matter 1.02 791.19 g varying 0 0.95. Depending phytoplankton assemblages were dominated by cyanobacteria, green algae (Mamiellophyceae, Pyramimonadophyceae), or diatoms. dataset is available https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.940240 (Castagna et al., 2022).