CZCS view of an oceanic acid waste dump

Plumes from the acid waste dump in the New York Bight were visible in all nine cloud-free Coastal Zone Color Scanner images from April and May 1981. The CZCS subsurface radiance channels displayed consistent spectral characteristics, which consisted of a strong increase in the 550 nm channel and a moderate increase in the 520 nm channel relative to the surrounding coastal waters. The 443 nm channel showed no change or a slight decrease in radiance within the plumes. These anomalous radiances preclude the calculation of pigment in the dump plumes using existing algorithms. However, the high radiances of the 550 nm channel can be used to examine the flow patterns of surface water in the vicinity of the dump.