In the context of remote sensing, sunlight penetration depth is the depth above which 90% of the diffusely refl ected irradiance from a water body surface originates. Model algorithms to simulate water quality variables such as chlorophyll a, dissolved organic matter, suspended matter, and Secchi depth are sensitive to the variations of this variable. The penetration depth for Taihu Lake in China, a shallow and turbid lake, was calculated by using a multiple scattering model, and in situ optical measurements were carried out during May and October 2010. The results show that: 1) the penetration depth generally increased from west to east during spring and from southeast to northwest during autumn, refl ecting the prevailing wind direction and; 2) there was strong dependence of the penetration depth on the concentration of suspended matter.
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