AUTHOR=Lee Zhongping , Shang Shaoling , Stavn Robert 

TITLE=AOPs Are Not Additive: On the Biogeo-Optical Modeling of the Diffuse Attenuation Coefficient

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00008

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2018.00008

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=<p>Commonly we see the diffuse attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance (<italic>K</italic><sub><italic>d</italic></sub>) expressed as a sum of the contributions of various constituents. We show here that, both theoretically and numerically, because <italic>K</italic><sub><italic>d</italic></sub> is an apparent optical property (AOP), this approach is not consistent with radiative transfer. We further advocate the application of models of <italic>K</italic><sub><italic>d</italic></sub> developed in past decades that are not only consistent with radiative transfer but also provide more accurate estimates, in particular for coastal turbid waters.</p>