Effects of mucilage on the optical properties of water column in the Sea of Marmara

İ. Destan Öztürk, Dilek Ediger

ORCID IDs: İ.D.Ö. 0000-0001-8915-6236; D.E. 0000-0003-4417-8815

Department of Physical Oceanography and Marine Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, Istanbul University, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

To understand if the formation of mucilage in the Sea of Marmara in 2021 affects the attenuation of light in the water column, data from two different periods were compared. Six stations covering the wide area of the Sea of Marmara and representing regions with different characteristics were selected. The CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) and PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) values were examined and Kd (attenuation coefficient) was calculated. In order to understand the effect of different typologies of mucilage aggregates on light attenuation, the light data of August 2021 was compare with the light data of January 2021, when these typologies did not occur. As a result of the study, the euphotic zone depth (Z_EU) in the Sea of Marmara for the period of August 2021 was limited to the range of 14-23 m. The average attenuation coefficient was 0.242±0.04 m^-1. As expected in January, the attenuation coefficient generally decreased with increasing depth, while in August this situation was almost reversed. The evaluation of PAR and Kd data showed that the mucilage aggregates, which become denser and larger with depth, caused serious shading in the water column.

Keywords: Mucilage aggregates, light attenuation, euphotic depth, Sea of Marmara

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