Satellite Remote Sensing
of Sea Spectral Reflectance (SSR)
- Ocean Color
We work with imagery from satellite radiometers observing the ocean in the visible/near-IR wavelengths ("ocean color sensors"). These sensors include NASA’s Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS), SeaWiFS and MODIS-Aqua; NASDA’s Ocean Color and Temperature Sensor (OCTS); and ESA's MERIS. In brief, we use images of water-leaving radiance, as well as images of products derived from water-leaving radiance such as phytoplankton chlorophyll, to study temporal and spatial variability in the ocean. We are particularly interested in the variability of phytoplankton chlorophyll (which is measure of phytoplankton biomass) with a focus on ocean margin waters off the U.S. East Coast, open ocean waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, as well as large-scale patterns in the global ocean. We are also interested in using water-leaving radiance measurements at multiple wavelengths to characterize in-water constituents of ocean waters, such as the size and types of phytoplankton.
We support our interpretations of ocean color measurements with in situ data (from archives or collected by collaborators); as well as data from other types of satellite sensors including thermal-infrared radiometers (which measure sea surface temperature), scatterometers (which measure vector winds over the ocean) and satellite altimeters (which measure sea surface height anomalies which are related to ocean eddy activity and planetary waves).
[Note: follow the `Animations' link at left for the Animated Research Projects previously posted here]
Please read further to learn about ocean color remote sensing projects at G.S.O./U.R.I. or contact us for more information.
