Near-infrared light scattering by particles in coastal waters.

We report the first measurements of the scattering coefficient of natural marine particles, which extend over the near-infrared spectral region to up to 870 nm. The measurements were conducted in three different European estuaries (Gironde, Tamar and Elbe) using an in situ absorption and attenuation-meter. The observed particulate scattering coefficients varied from 1 to nearly 100 m(-1). The spectral shape in the near-infrared very closely matched a lambda(-gamma) spectral dependence, which is expected when the particle size followed a power-law distribution. The spectral slope of the scattering spectrum, gamma, spanned from 0.1 to 1.2 and showed significant regional and temporal variations. These variations were certainly related to the particle size distribution, which will have to be studied in future works. Using our near-infrared data as a reference, we assessed the use of the attenuation coefficient spectrum in the visible range to estimate the near-infrared particulate scattering slope and found values different by 10% on average.