Lidar measurements of the diffuse attenuation coefficient in Yellowstone Lake

Airborne lidar study of lake ecosystems is still a relatively unexplored field. In this paper we present measurements of the diffuse attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance (K_d) obtained using a 532 nm airborne lidar in flights during 2004 and 2016 over Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. We compare the lidar measurements with MODIS K_d data, discuss the impact that local weather and river inflows/outflows may have had on the data, compare to previous models of the diffuse attenuation coefficient, and examine several published relationships converting K_d to Secchi disk depth.