Turbidity sensors
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Contents
Introduction
Definition
Turbidity is defined as the reduction of transparency of a liquid caused by the presence of non-dissolved suspended matter.[1] The origin of the particles found in seawater can be mineral (such as clay and silts) or organic (such as particulate organic matter or even living organisms like plankton). Turbidity is not, however, a direct measure of suspended particles in water, but a measure of the scattering effect such particles have on light.
Measurements of Turbidity throughout history
The first record of turbidity being approached in a scientific way, is attributed to the head of the Papal Navy in 1865, Commander Cialdi. Commander Cialdi was interested in the transparency of the sea and the visibility of its floor (for navigational purposes) and in his research he had read that a captain had seen a plate in a net at 40m depth. Commander Cialdi commenced his investigation on the sea visibility and immediately tried several different disc sizes and colors. Later, he hired the services of Professor Pietro Angelo Secchi, an Italian scholar and priest. Together they published Sur la Transparence de la Mer.(On the transparency of the Sea)
Turbidity Sensors
Light Scattering
Causes and Impacts of turbidity in Marine Ecosystems
High turbidity has a number of detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems: decrease in light penetration (limiting plant growth), fish movements and the ability of predatory fish and birds to see their prey. High turbidity means high concentration of suspended solids, which can harm fish and other aquatic fauna. These suspended solids in the process of settling down to the ocean bottom have a choking effect on bottom dwelling organisms and aquatic habitats.[2]
