Assessing the Optical Plankton Discriminator Discriminator’s Ability to Measure Colored Dissolved Organic Matter

Abstract

The Optical Plankton Discriminator (OPD) was designed to have the ability to measure the spectra caused by colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in coastal and offshore waters; however, extensive laboratory tests have not been performed to verify the CDOM measurements recorded by the OPD. To validate these measurements, CDOM-driven spectra obtained by the OPD were tested against a bench top spectrophotometer, a reliable standard. Tests for determining the instrument’s accuracy, precision, and salinity-dependent error were performed.