Optical Measurement of Particle Distribution in the Sea

Abstract

A method has been developed for studying the distribution of suspended particles in the sea. The intensity of the light from a Tyndall beam scattered in the water samples is measured. Essential precautions in the study of clear ocean water are given. The method is illustrated by the particle distribution found off the Nile estuary and in the Strait of Gibraltar. The possibilities offered by the method suggest that it should be more widely employed for characterizing water masses and for studying horizontal and vertical movements in the sea. Other pertinent problems, re the settling of suspensoids near land and the flushing of harbours, may also be investigated in this way.