Optical Oceanography Lab

University of South Florida

Chuanmin Hu’s Optical Oceanography Lab reads the ocean through light. The group combines underwater optical measurements, satellite remote sensing, and radiative transfer modeling to investigate harmful algal blooms, coastal pollution, carbon cycling, and connections between river water and the sea. It develops targeted satellite algorithms and integrates their products with other observations to explain changing coastal conditions. Public observing systems include Sargassum monitoring, red-tide information, and virtual buoys, linking optical oceanography with practical information for people managing marine environments.