This reports the lowest received optical power sampled for this wavelength during the bin. Because this reading is a cumulative, non-resettable running figure tracked only from a single start reference rather than any fixed bin, a deep minimum captured here -- even if the average looks fine -- is how you catch a brief power dip, such as a protection switch or a micro-bend event, that an averaged figure would otherwise smooth away. For example, an average of -12.5 dBm but a recorded minimum of -18.0 dBm in this same bin means the channel briefly dropped 5.5 dB at some point in the interval, accumulated since this row's single start reference, with no periodic reset.