Search

The Global Imager (GLI) aboard the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II (ADEOS-II) made global observations from 2 April 2003 to 24 October 2003. In cooperation with several institutes and scientists, we obtained quality controlled match-ups between GLI products and in-situ data, 116 for chlorophyll-a concentration (CHLA), 249 for normalized water-leaving radiance (nLw) at 443 nm, and 201 for aerosol optical thickness at 865 nm (Tau_865) and Angstrom exponent between 520 and 865 nm (Angstrom). We evaluated the GLI ocean color products and investigated the causes of errors using the match-ups. The median absolute percentage differences (MedPD) between GLI and in-situ data were 14.1–35.7% for nLws at 380–565 nm, 52.5–74.8% nLws at 625–680 nm, 47.6% for Tau_865, 46.2% for Angstrom, and 46.6% for CHLA, values that are comparable to the ocean-color products of other sensors. We found that some errors in GLI products are correlated with observational conditions; nLw values were underestimated when nLw at 680 nm was high, CHLA was underestimated in absorptive aerosol conditions, and Tau_865 was overestimated in sunglint regions. The error correlations indicate that we need to improve the retrievals of the optical properties of absorptive aerosols and seawater and sea surface reflection for further applications, including coastal monitoring and the combined use of products from multiple sensors.

We conducted vicarious calibration of the Global Imager (GLI) in visible to near-infrared channels over different targets. For calibration over the ocean, we used the normalized water-leaving radiance derived from the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) and the aerosol optical properties (aerosol optical depth, size distribution, and refractive index) obtained through the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). For calibration over land, we used the ground-based measurement data at Railroad Valley Playa. The following GLI characteristics are recognized from the calibration results. First, GLI underestimates the radiance in channels 1, 2, 4, and 5. Next, in the near-infrared channels, there is good agreement between the observed and simulated radiance over bright targets. On the other hand, it is suggested that the GLI overestimates the radiance over dark targets (e.g., on the order of 15% at 4.0 W/m/sup 2///spl mu/m/sr in channels 18 and 19). Furthermore, we evaluated these calibration results over different targets taking into account the difference in the target radiance and in the accuracy between the two results. This combined evaluation of vicarious calibration results suggests the possibility that the GLI-observed radiance has offset radiance versus the simulated radiance.

Studying aerosols over ocean is one goal of the Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) and other spaceborne imaging systems. But top-of-atmosphere equivalent reflectance typically falls in the range of 0.03 to 0.12 at midvisible wavelengths and can be below 0.01 in the near-infrared, when an optically thin aerosol layer is viewed over a dark ocean surface. Special attention must be given to radiometric calibration if aerosol optical thickness, and any information about particle microphysical properties, are to be reliably retrieved from such observations. MISR low-light-level vicarious calibration is performed in the vicinity of remote islands hosting Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sun- and sky-scanning radiometers, under low aerosol loading, low wind speed, relatively cloud free conditions. MISR equivalent reflectance is compared with values calculated from a radiative transfer model constrained by coincident, AERONET-retrieved aerosol spectral optical thickness, size distribution, and single scattering albedo, along with in situ wind measurements. Where the nadir view is not in sun glint, MISR equivalent reflectance is also compared with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflectance. The authors push the limits of the vicarious calibration method’s accuracy, aiming to assess absolute, camera-to-camera, and band-to-band radiometry. Patterns repeated over many well-constrained cases lend confidence to the results, at a few percent accuracy, as do additional vicarious calibration tests performed with multiplatform observations taken during the Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS) campaign. Conclusions are strongest in the red and green bands, but are too uncertain to accept for the near-infrared. MISR nadir-view and MODIS low-light-level absolute reflectances differ by about 4% in the blue and green bands, with MISR reporting higher values. In the red, MISR agrees with MODIS band 14 to better than 2%, whereas MODIS band 1 is significantly lower. Compared to the AERONET-constrained model, the MISR aft-viewing cameras report reflectances too high by several percent in the blue, green, and possibly the red. Better agreement is found in the nadir- and the forward-viewing cameras, especially in the blue and green. When implemented on a trial basis, calibration adjustments indicated by this work remove 40% of a 0.05 bias in retrieved midvisible aerosol optical depth over dark water scenes, produced by the early postlaunch MISR algorithm. A band-to-band correction has already been made to the MISR products, and the remaining calibration adjustments, totaling no more than a few percent, are planned.

The Marine Optical System (MOS) is a dual charge-coupled device (CCD)-based spectrograph system developed for in-water measurements of downwelling solar irradiance Ed and upwelling radiance Lu. These measurements are currently used in the calibration and validation of satellite ocean color measurement instruments such as the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). MOS was designed to be deployed from a ship for single measurements and also integrated into the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) for longer time series datasets. Measurements with the two spectrographs in the MOS systems can be compared in the spectral interval from about 580 to 630 nm. In this spectral range, they give different values for Lu or Ed at a common wavelength. To better understand the origin of this observation and the sources of uncertainty in the calibration of MOBY, an MOS bench unit was developed for detailed radiometric characterization and calibration m...

In this paper, we describe an algorithm to correct a spectrograph's response for stray light. Two recursion relations are developed:?one to correct the system response when measuring broad-band calibration sources, and a second to correct the response when measuring sources of unknown radiance. The algorithm requires a detailed understanding of the effect of stray light in the spectrograph on the instrument's response. Using tunable laser sources, a dual spectrograph instrument designed to measure the up-welling radiance in the ocean was characterized for stray light. A?stray-light correction algorithm was developed, based on the results of these measurements. The instrument's response was corrected for stray light, and the effects on measured up-welling in-water radiance were evaluated.

The advent of a new generation of space-borne ocean colour sensors brings the prospect of global ocean measurements for decades into the future. These measurements will provide the basis for characterizing variability in the structure of the ocean's phytoplanktonic communities and the response of those communities to climatic change. In addition, the measurements will allow development of the scientific basis necessary to manage the sustainable resources of marine ecosystems. These studies will require a merged, long-term, multi-satellite ocean colour time series extending beyond the operational lifetimes of individual instruments. The Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies (SIMBIOS) Project has been tasked to develop the tools required to create this time series. Among these tools are a comprehensive in situ (field collected) bio-optical dataset for validating ocean optics algorithms and associated models of oceanic properties; a programme to evaluate diffe...

Long-term measurements by the AERONET program of spectral aerosol optical depth, precipitable water, and derived Angstrom exponent were analyzed and compiled into an aerosol optical properties climatology. Quality assured monthly means are presented and described for 9 primary sites and 21 additional multiyear sites with distinct aerosol regimes representing tropical biomass burning, boreal forests, midlatitude humid climates, midlatitude dry climates, oceanic sites, desert sites, and background sites. Seasonal trends for each of these nine sites are discussed and climatic averages presented.

Remotely sensed chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations are determined by the ratio of upwelled radiances within the Soret band of Chl a (443 nm) and at 550 nm. Absorption at wavelengths outside this band (.460 nm) is dominated by accessory pigments and for the successful measurement of Chl a (e.g., 490 : 550 nm and 520 : 550 nm ratios) early Coastal Zone Color Scanner investigators speculated that these accessory pigments must covary with Chl a, although routine methods to measure these pigments had not yet been developed. Nearly 7,000 (high performance liquid chromatography) pigment samples, collected within the euphotic zone, were measured to test the consistency of the relationship between accessory pigments and Chl a. Despite the various sampling periods (1985‐1998) and numerous geographic locations, consistent patterns have emerged in the ratios of the log accessory pigments to log total Chl a (TCHLA 5 Chl a, Chl a allomer, Chl a epimer, and chlorophyllide a). There were strong log-linear relationships within cruises for these ratios with an average r 2

By validation of atmospheric correction, we mean quantification of the uncertainty expected to be associated with the retrieval of the water-leaving radiance from the measurement of the total radiance exiting the ocean-atmosphere system. This uncertainty includes that associated with the measurement or estimation of auxiliary data required for the retrieval process, for example, surface wind speed, surface atmospheric pressure, and total ozone concentration. For a definitive validation this quantification should be carried out over the full range of atmospheric types expected to be encountered. However, funding constraints require that the individual validation campaigns must be planned to address the individual components of the atmospheric correction algorithm believed to represent the greatest potential sources of error. In this paper we develop a strategy for validation of atmospheric correction over the oceans that is focused on EOS/MODIS. We also provide a description of the instrumentation and methods to be used in the implementation of the plan.

Simulated bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) were compared with measurements made just beneath the water’s surface. In Case I water, the set of simulations that varied the particle scattering phase function depending on chlorophyll concentration agreed more closely with the data than other models. In Case II water, however, the simulations using fixed phase functions agreed well with the data and were nearly indistinguishable from each other, on average. The results suggest that BRDF corrections in Case II water are feasible using single, average, particle scattering phase functions, but that the existing approach using variable particle scattering phase functions is still warranted in Case I water., JRC.H.1-Water Resources

Preliminary results are described for an effort to quantify the sensitivity decay of a radiometry sensor (the Coastal Zone Color Scanner or CZCS aboard Nimbus 7). The method used in the study is to (1) compute the water-leaving radiance for imagery acquired in regions where this radiance is known or can be independently estimated, and (2) adjust the sensor calibration to force agreement between the two radiances. Decay factors for orbit numbers from 0 to 20,000 are plotted, and surface and space measurements are compared for the Gulf Stream and the Northern Sargasso Sea at different seasons. The fact that a seasonal variability in the chlorophyll a concentration in the Sargasso Sea was found in the sensor analysis (apparently the first such satellite observation) increases confidence in the method.

The possibility of computing the inherent sea surface radiance for regions of clear water from coastal zone color scanner (CZCS) imagery given only a knowledge of the local solar zenith angle is examined. The inherent sea surface radiance is related to the upwelling and downwelling irradiances just beneath the sea surface, and an expression is obtained for a normalized inherent sea surface radiance which is nearly independent of solar zenith angle for low phytoplankton pigment concentrations. An analysis of a data base consisting of vertical profiles of upwelled spectral radiance and pigment concentration, which was used in the development of the CZCS program, confirms the virtual constancy of the normalized inherent sea surface radiance at wavelengths of 520 and 550 nm for cases when the pigment concentration is less than 0.25 mg/cu m. A strategy is then developed for using the normalized inherent sea surface radiance in the atmospheric correction of CZCS imagery.

[1] A young cold core cyclonic eddy displaying a significant increase in surface chlorophyll was observed offshore Lanai Island, Hawai'i, where the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) is located. During one of its deployments, MOBY broke free from its mooring. In the course of its 3-day free drifting period, MOBY followed a cyclonic eddy, which is manifested by satellite remote sensing data, chlorophyll data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, and sea surface temperature (SST) from a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. The time series of the SST show that the cold core eddy was in a formative stage. It existed as a stand-alone eddy for about 9 days before it merged with cold water south of Oahu Island. A high-resolution numerical model simulation reproduces similar eddies in terms of location, size, and intensity. An eddy detection algorithm is described and applied to locate and track the modeled eddies. The results demonstrate that mesoscale and submesoscale eddies are frequently generated on and pass through the lee side of Lanai Island and the statistical analysis quantifies the general features of eddies in the area.

For the past decade, the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY), a radiometric buoy stationed in the waters off Lanai, Hawaii, has been the primary in-water oceanic observatory for the vicarious calibration of U. S. satellite ocean color sensors, including the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometers (MODIS) instruments on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Terra and Aqua satellites. The MOBY vicarious calibration of these sensors supports international effort to develop a global, multi-year time series of consistently calibrated ocean color data products. A critical component of the MOBY program is establishing radiometric traceability to the International System of Units (SI) through standards provided by the U. S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A detailed uncertainty budget is a core component of traceable metrology. We present the MOBY uncertainty budget for up-welling radiance and discuss additional considerations related to the water-leaving radiance uncertainty budget. Finally, we discuss approaches in new instrumentation to reduce the uncertainties in in situ water-leaving radiance measurements.

Determination of the water-leaving spectral radiance using in-water instrumentation requires measurements of the upwelling spectral radiance (Lu) at several depths. If these measurements are separated in time, changes in the measurement conditions result in increased variance in the results. A prototype simultaneous multi-track system was developed to assess the potential reduction in the Type A uncertainty in single set, normalized water-leaving radiance achievable if the data were acquired simultaneously. The prototype system employed a spectrograph and multi-track fiber-coupled CCD-detector; in situ in-water tests were performed with the prototype system fiber-coupled to a small buoy. The experiments demonstrate the utility of multi-channel simultaneous data acquisition for in-water measurement applications. An example of the potential impact for tracking abrupt responsivity changes in satellite ocean color sensors using these types of instruments as well as for the satellite vicarious calibration is given.

The water-leaving spectral radiance is a basic ocean color remote sensing parameters required for the vicarious calibration. Determination of water-leaving spectral radiance using in-water radiometry requires measurements of the upwelling spectral radiance at several depths. The Marine Optical System (MOS) Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) is a portable, fiber-coupled, high-resolution spectroradiometer system with spectral coverage from 340 nm to 960 nm. MOS was developed at the same time as the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) spectrometer system and is optically identical except that it is configured as a profiling instrument. Concerns with instrument self-shadowing because of the large exterior dimensions of the MOS underwater housing led to adapting MOS and ROV technology. This system provides for measurement of the near-surface upwelled spectral radiance while minimizing the effects of shadowing. A major advantage of this configuration is that the ROV provides the capability to acquire measurements 5 cm to 10 cm below the water surface and is capable of very accurate depth control (1 cm) allowing for high vertical resolution observations within the very near-surface. We describe the integrated system and its characterization and calibration. Initial measurements and results from observations of coral reefs in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, extremely turbid waters in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, and in Case 1 waters off Southern Oahu, Hawaii are presented.

The Global Imager (GLI) was launched on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite II (ADEOS-II) on December 14, 2002. We conducted vicarious calibration of the GLI ocean color channels in visible to near-infrared channels. For the calibration we used the normalized water-leaving radiance derived from the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY), and the aerosol optical properties (aerosol optical depth, size distribution, and refractive index) released in the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). The following GLI characteristics are recognized from the calibration results. First, GLI underestimates the radiance in channels 1, 2, 4, and 5. Next, in near-infrared channels, it is suggested that GLI overestimates the radiance on the order of 15% in channels 18 and 19. Furthermore, the comparison of the result with other vicarious calibration results suggests the possibility that the GLI observed radiance has offset radiance versus the simulated radiance. The estimated offset is about 0.4 W/m 2 /um/sr in channel 19, which is considered appropriate by the adaptation test to the GLI standard atmospheric correction algorithm.

Instruments used to make radiometric measurements of the ocean are typically calibrated against incandescent sources with a spectral distribution that peaks in the near-infrared while the radiant flux from the ocean peaks in the blue to green spectral region. Because of the different spectral distributions between the calibration source and the ocean color, stray light (or spectral out-of-band) in an instrument's response can cause significant systematic errors in the measurement of optical properties of the ocean. Approaches to the stray-light characterization and correction of instrumentation used to develop remotely sensed ocean color data products are presented in this work. The goal is to reduce the variance in radiometric measurements of ocean color to produce more consistent long-term, multi-sensor (both ground- and satellite-based) data sets that may lead to increased understanding of bio-physical processes in the oceans.

The GLI was launched on board the ADEOS-II on December 14, 2002. For the early phase evaluations of the observation radiances, the GLI calibration team carried out vicarious calibrations by using MOBY measurements. To achieve the calibrations, we used two methods, which utilize two near-infrared channels and the measurement of the aerosol optical thickness, to predict the aerosol optical properties. Applying these methods, we derived early GLI vicarious calibration factors for ocean-color channels.

The Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) provides values of water- leaving radiance for the calibration and validation of satellite ocean color instruments. Located in clear, deep ocean waters near the Hawaiian Island of Lanai, MOBY measures the upwelling radiance and downwelling irradiance at three levels below the ocean surface plus the incident solar irradiance just above the surface. The radiance standards for MOBY are two integrating spheres with calibrations based on standards traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). For irradiance, the MOBY project uses standard lamps that are routinely calibrated at NIST. Wavelength calibrations are conducted with a series of emission lines observed from a set of low pressure lamps. Each MOBY instrument views these standards before and after its deployment to provide system responses (calibration coefficients). During each deployment, the stability of the MOBY spectrographs and internal optics are monitored using three internal reference sources. In addition, the collection optics for the instrument are cleaned and checked on a monthly basis while the buoy is deployed. Divers place lamps over the optics before and after each cleaning to monitor changes at the system level. As a hyperspectral instrument, MOBY uses absorption lines in the solar spectrum to monitor its wavelength stability. When logistically feasible during each deployment, coincident measurements are made with the predecessor buoy before that buoy's recovery. Measurements of the underwater light fields from the deployment vessel are compared with those from the buoy. Based on this set of absolute calibrations and the suite of stability reference measurements, a calibration history is created for each buoy. These calibration histories link the measurement time series from the set of MOBY buoys. In general, the differences between the pre- and post-deployment radiance calibrations of the buoys range from +1% to -6% with a definitive bias to a negative difference for the post- deployment values. This trend is to be expected after a deployment of 3 months. To date, only the pre-deployment calibration measurements have been used to adjust the system responses for the MOBY time series. Based on these results, the estimated radiometric uncertainty for MOBY in-water ocean color measurements is estimated to be about 4% to 8% (kequals1). As part of a collaboration with NIST, annual radiometric comparisons are made at the MOBY calibration facility. NIST personnel use transfer radiometers and integrating spheres to validate (verify) the accuracy of the MOBY calibration sources. Recently, we began a study of the stray light contribution to the radiometric uncertainty in the MOBY systems. A complete reprocessing of the MOBY data set, including the changes within each MOBY deployment, will commence upon the completion of the stray light characterization, which is scheduled for the fall of 2001. It is anticipated that this reprocessing will reduce the overall radiometric uncertainty to less than 5% (kequals1).

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) will add a significant new capability for investigating the 70% of the Earth's surface that is covered by oceans, in addition to contributing to the continuation of a decadal scale time series necessary for climate change assessment in the oceans. Sensor capabilities of particular importance for improving the accuracy of ocean products include high SNR and high stability for narrow or spectral bands, improved onboard radiometric calibration and stability monitoring, and improved science data product algorithms. Spectral bands for resolving solar-stimulated chlorophyll fluorescence and a split window in the 4-/spl mu/m region for SST will result in important new global ocean science products for biology and physics. MODIS will return full global data at 1-km resolution. The complete suite of Levels 2 and 3 ocean products is reviewed, and many areas where MODIS data are expected to make significant, new contributions to the enhanced understanding of the oceans' role in understanding climate change are discussed. In providing a highly complementary and consistent set of observations of terrestrial, atmospheric, and ocean observations, MODIS data will provide important new information on the interactions between Earth's major components.

We present an overview of the vicarious calibration of the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). This program has three components: the calibration of the near-infrared bands so that the atmospheric correction algorithm retrieves the optical properties of maritime aerosols in the open ocean; the calibration of the visible bands against in-water measurements from the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY); and a calibration-verification program that uses comparisons between SeaWiFS retrievals and globally distributed in situ measurements of water-leaving radiances. This paper describes the procedures as implemented for the third reprocessing of the SeaWiFS global mission data set. The uncertainty in the near-infrared vicarious gain is 0.9%. The uncertainties in the visible-band vicarious gains are 0.3%, corresponding to uncertainties in the water-leaving radiances of approximately 3%. The means of the SeaWiFS/in situ matchup ratios for water-leaving radiances are typically within 5% of unity in Case 1 waters, while chlorophyll a ratios are within 1% of unity. SeaWiFS is the first ocean-color mission to use an extensive and ongoing prelaunch and postlaunch calibration program, and the matchup results demonstrate the benefits of a comprehensive approach.

We investigate the accuracy with which relevant atmospheric parameters must be estimated to derive phytoplankton pigment concentrations (chlorophyll a plus phaeophytin a ) of a given accuracy from measurements of the ocean's apparent spectral radiance at satellite altitudes. The analysis is limited to an instrument having the characteristics of the Coastal Zone Color Scanner scheduled to orbit the Earth on NIMBUS-G. A phytoplankton pigment algorithm is developed which relates the pigment concentration (C) to the three ratios of upwelling radiance just beneath the sea surface which can be formed from the wavelengths (λ) 440, 520 and 550 nm. The pigment algorithm explains from 94 to 98% of the variance in log10 C over three orders of magnitude in pigment concentration. This is combined with solutions to the radiative transfer equation to simulate the ocean's apparent spectral radiance at satellite altitudes as a function of C and the optical properties of the aerosol, the optical depth of which is assumed to be proportioned to λ-n. A specific atmospheric correction algorithm, based on the assumption that the ocean is totally absorbing at 670 nm, is then applied to the simulated spectral radiance, from which the pigment concentration is derived. Comparison between the true and derived values of C show that: (1) n is considerably more important than the actual aerosol optical thickness; (2) for C 0299-1 0.2 Μg l-1 acceptable concentrations can be determined as long as n is not overestimated; (3) as C increases, the accuracy with which n must be estimated, for a given relative accuracy in C, also increases; and (4) for C greater than about 0.5 Μg 1-1, the radiance at 440 nm becomes essentially useless in determining C. The computations also suggest that if separate pigment algorithms are used for C ≲ 1Μgl-1 and C ≳ 1 Μgl-1, accuracies considerably better than ±± in log C can be obtained for C ≲ 1 Μg l-1 with only a coarse estimate of n, while for C ≳ 10 Μgl-1, this accuracy can be achieved only with very good estimates of n.

Spectral analysis of water color and concurrent measurements of the relative concentration of various particulate and dissolved constituents within a broad range of water types are necessary to quantify ocean color observations and successfully relate them to various biological and physical processes that can be monitored by remote sensing. Some of the results of a Nimbus-G prelaunch cruise in connection with the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) experiment, which was carried out in the Gulf of Mexico in October 1977, are presented and discussed. Based upon a small but diverse sample of near-surface measurements, it appears possible to estimate total suspended particulate matter (SPM) to useful accuracies by forming ratios of the spectral radiances measured at wavelengths falling near the centers of certain CZCS bands, viz., 440 nm: 550 nm and 440 nm : 520 nm. Furthermore, the analysis suggests a very high degree of covariation between SPM and phytoplankton pigments except for certain well-defined special cases.

Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) data were used to compute spatial distribution of surface phytoplankton pigments in coastal and offshore waters near Iceland in April 1979. The standard CZCS processing algorithms were applied and a limited evaluation of their accuracy was conducted. This evaluation utilized in situ measurements from a cruise in the area and the clear water radiance concept. Initial results appear to confirm that the CZCS processing algorithms used at these moderately high latitudes exhibit accuracy similar to the validation studies conducted in the mid Atlantic bight.

The removal of atmospheric effects from Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) images reveals eddy-like ocean turbidity patterns not apparent in the original calibrated images. Comparisons of the phytoplankton pigment concentrations derived from the corrected CZCS radiances with surface measurements agree to within less than 0.5 log C, where C is the sum of the concentrations of chlorophyll a plus phaeopigments a (in milligrams per cubic meter).

The Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) on Nimbus-7, launched in October 1978, is the only sensor in orbit that is specifically designed to study living marine resources. The initial imagery confirms that CZCS data can be processed to a level that reveals subtle variations in the concentration of phytoplankton pigments. This development has potential applications for the study of large-scale patchiness in phytoplankton distributions, the evolution of spring blooms, water mass boundaries, and mesoscale circulation patterns.

Ocean color observations by the Coastal Zone color scanner (CZCS) aboard the Nimbus-7 satellite are discussed, together with the factors contributing to the 'apparent' color of the ocean. The CZCS optical systems and the tecniques for extraction of the phytoplankton pigment concentration and the diffuse attenuation coefficient K from the 'apparent' water color are described in detail. Special consideration is given to the use of biooptical algorithms and the development of the K algorithm for the CZCS imagery. It is shown that under typical atmospheric conditions, the pigment concentration can be extracted from the satellite imagery to within + or - 30 percent over concentration ranges from 0 to 5 mg/cu m for the Morel case 1 water (Morel and Prieur, 1977), to which the oceanic waters belong as a rule.

Dramatic changes in the patterns of satellite-derived pigment concentrations around the Galapagos Islands during February and March 1983 are associated with unusual oceanographic conditions observed during the 1982-1983 El Nino. The redistribution of food resources might have contributed to the reproductive failure of seabirds and marine mammals on these islands during this El Nino.

Inherent sea surface spectral radiance ratios are related empirically to the sum of the photosynthetically active phytoplankton pigment chlorophyll a and phaeopigment a, the associated degradation product. The analysis of the in-water optical data is specifically focused on the spectral characteristics of the Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner instrument. In addition, an optically-dependent weighting function is applied to the vertical profile measurements of the pigments in order to accurately represent the condition of a remote sensor viewing a stratified ocean. The pigment algorithm formulated with these modifications and based on the inclusion of a larger and more diverse data base, from post-launch validation cruises, resulted in no statistically significant difference when compared to the preliminary form reported by Gordon and Clark (1980) or to Morel’s (1980) combined class 1 and class 2 waters. The pigment algorithm explains from 87 to 92% of the variance in log10 pigments over nearly four orders of magnitude in pigment concentration and is accurate to ±1/4 in log of pigment concentration.

The processing algorithms used for relating the apparent color of the ocean observed with the Coastal-Zone Color Scanner on Nimbus-7 to the concentration of phytoplankton pigments (principally the pigment responsible for photosynthesis, chlorophyll a) are developed and discussed in detail. These algorithms are applied to the shelf and slope waters of the Middle Atlantic Bight and also to Sargasso Sea waters. In all, four images are examined, and the resulting pigment concentrations are compared to continuous measurements made along ship tracks. The results suggest that over the 0.08-1.5-mg/m3 range the error in the retrieved pigment concentration is of the order of 30-40% for a variety of atmospheric turbidities. In three direct comparisons between ship-measured and satellite-retrieved values of the water-leaving radiance the atmospheric correction algorithm retrieved the water-leaving radiance with an average error of approximately 10%. This atmospheric correction algorithm does not require any surface measurements for its application.

The temporal and spatial development of the ice-edge bloom and the spring open-water bloom on the eastern Bering Sea shelf was studied using CZCS images of the eastern Bering Sea between April 27 and July 22, 1980. Images of the Norton Sound area taken during the period of ice breakup show that the influence of ice melt on phytoplankton growth is particularly significant where the ice is actively melting. Significant levels (5-30 mg/cu m) of chlorophyll could be seen trailing the ice pack as it melted and moved northward and westward in late April and early May. In the ice-free eastern Bering Sea midsummer image, a northwesterly oriented band of high pigment concentration was seen in the area of the outer domain, suggesting periodic offshore movements of shelf waters.