POSTER SESSION 4
10:30–12:30, Thursday, September 17
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
ABSTRACT 1291 | POSTER 20
PARCAST: DIY-OCEANOGRAPHY SYSTEM FOR PROFILING PAR IN KELP FORESTS
Nearshore environments support taxonomically-rich biological assemblages that rely on sufficient solar (and lunar) illumination for critical functions including primary production, diel vertical migration, and the timing of reproduction. Photosynthetically Available Radiation, or PAR, describes the visible light (400–700 nm) that autotrophs use for photosynthesis. Quantifying PAR and its attenuation in aquatic environments is therefore essential for understanding ecological and physiological processes governing productivity and habitat suitability—relevant to species distribution and community structure. We present a prototype DIY-oceanography system, PARcast, supporting PAR profiling of complex nearshore environments where shipborne profilers and autonomous floats are generally not applicable. Although PARcast is designed for manual deployment by a swimmer or diver in kelp forests, its scalable design may extend its utility to a variety of aquatic environments (e.g., coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and inland water bodies) and deployment platforms (e.g., small crafts or piers). The prototype comprises two cosine-corrected quantum sensors (Apogee SQ-500). One sensor is externally mounted on a waterproof acrylic enclosure that contains the electronics and logs Ed(z, PAR), pressure, temperature, and tilt to an onboard microSD card. A second, standalone accessory unit with an identical electronic configuration designed for above-water operation, measures Es(PAR). We evaluate the suitability of PARcast for research and teaching applications and present initial data from cruise deployments associated with, for example, NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program and Plumes and Blooms. Instrument specifications, validation datasets, and results will be shared via GitHub for community use and feedback.
Lori Berberian*, University of California Los Angeles, Geography, [email protected]
Kyle Cavanaugh, University of California Los Angeles, Geography, [email protected]
Bradley Stewart, University of California Los Angeles, Physics and Astronomy, [email protected]
Henry Houskeeper, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, [email protected]
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
