SBCLTER: Kelp Removal Experiment: Irradiance Data

In conjuntion with the Long Term Kelp Remaval Experiment surveys, SBC LTER monitors irradiance at both a Macrocystis removal and control plot at five coastal reef sites along mainland Santa Barbara. The instrument used is an MDS-MkV/L Light Intensity Recorder manufactured by Alec Electronics Corporation. Irradiance is sampled once every sixty seconds from the bottom to measure the variation in the amount of light that reaches the sea floor. There is a light sensor at the 0m end of each transect. The loggers are retrieved and replaced every 1-3 months. Currently this data is being used to develop a bio-optical model for the local kelp forest communities.