ABSTRACT
Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is a key component in aquatic environment. CDOM plays an important role in water optical attenuation and in biogeochemical processing. In this chapter, the optical absorption properties of CDOM were investigated during the wet season in Poyang Lake. Results showed that the absorption coefficients of CDOM varied significantly in four study areas that contain different levels of turbidity. The absorption coefficients of CDOM were higher in wetland contributed waters than in open water areas. Spectral analysis indicated that CDOM had relatively high aromaticity and molecule weight dominated by terrestrial allochthonous inputs. This study established a field-based knowledge for remote sensing measurements of spatial and temporal distribution of CDOM in Poyang Lake which experienced annual variations in water level, coverage area, and turbidity. The findings from this study have some potential application for remote sensing modeling of CDOM, especially for algorithm parameterization.
