The extent of light absorption in the near-infrared spectral region (NIR; 700-900 nm) of natural suspended particles was investigated by determining the absorption and mass-specific absorption coefficients of samples from different environments: river, coastal waters, tropical lagoon, and oceanic waters. Large amounts of sample were collected onto glass-fiber filters and measured inside the integrating sphere of a spectrophotometer. The absorption coefficient of particle suspension was also determined for visible wavelengths with a point-source integrating cavity absorption meter. Measurable nonzero particulate absorption in the NIR was determined in all samples, even in algal cultures. It was highest in the river samples (e.g., 1.7 m-1 at 850 nm), reaching values similar to the NIR absorption of pure water-a strong NIR absorber. Lowest values were in oligotrophic waters and in algal cultures. Ratios of absorption at 750 nm to absorption at 442 and 672 nm varied between 2% to 30% and 3% to 80%, respectively. Mass-specific absorption in the NIR at 850 nm was also highest in the river (0.012 m2 g-1) and lowest in oligotrophic waters (0.002-0.003 m2 g-1). The observed NIR absorption can partly be explained by absorption of minerogenic particles, whereas the contribution of organic detritus to the NIR absorption is still mostly unknown. © 2014, by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.