Xiaodong Zhang Lab for Marine Optics

Propagating through the ocean, light interact with water and its constituents, causing physical (heating), chemical (photochemical reaction) and biological (photosynthesis) changes. The ocean contains a diverse mixture of dissolved and particulate matter that constantly change in time and space. Each of these constituents exerts an influence on the spectral absorption, angular scattering, and polarization state of light. Therefore, the optical measurements contain embedded information regarding the concentration, sizes, composition, shape and structure of these materials and their dynamics. The research of Xiaodong Zhang Lab for Marine Optics is to decipher these linkages to retrieve useful information about various water constituents from optical measurements. When extended to optical data obtained remotely from air- and space-borne platforms, such measurements offer observational capabilities over a much broader range of temporal and spatial scales over which regional and global investigation of the ocean can be conducted.