Field investigation on seawater temperature variability in relation to horizontal optical gradient

The spatial variability of radiant energy absorption in seawater can result from the non-homogeneity of the concentration of its optically active components, such as chlorophyll or dissolved organic matter. This non-homogeneity leads to local changes in the radiant heating rate and consequent changes in water temperature. Besides a simple dependence, for instance when a higher phytoplankton concentration is accompanied by a temperature rise, a relation that is more complex may occur. A theoretical analysis suggested that sufficiently strong horizontal changes in seawater absorption may cause, in their close proximity, an additional increase or decrease in the heating rate. To confirm this, we carried out preliminary simultaneous measurements of temperature and the light-beam attenuation coefficient (in the short-wave part of the visible band of the radiation spectrum) in the surface waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk (Southern Baltic) between 2003 and 2005. We determined that additional temperature changes occurred on one side of the boundary between water masses which had significantly different light-beam attenuation coefficients. When solar radiation penetrated through an area with a strong increase in the attenuation coefficient, a local rise in temperature would occur, even by a few tenths of a degree Celsius, often leading to the creation of maxima. In instances of radiation permeating to much more transparent water, the temperature would drop, with the effect being distinctly weaker - the maximum temperature decrease was approximately 0.1°C. These observations corresponded to theoretical predictions of temperature variability resulting from the presence of horizontal optical gradient

Observational insights into chlorophyll distributions of subtropical South Indian Ocean eddies

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A compilation of global bio-optical in situ data for ocean colour satellite applications – version three

A global in situ data set for validation of ocean colour products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) is presented. This version of the compilation, starting in 1997, now extends to 2021, which is important for the validation of the most recent satellite optical sensors such as Sentinel 3B OLCI and NOAA-20 VIIRS. The data set comprises in situ observations of the following variables: spectral remote-sensing reflectance, concentration of chlorophyll-a, spectral inherent optical properties, spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient, and total suspended matter. Data were obtained from multi-project archives acquired via open internet services or from individual projects acquired directly from data providers. Methodologies were implemented for homogenization, quality control, and merging of all data. Minimal changes were made on the original data, other than conversion to a standard format, elimination of some points, after quality control and averaging of observations that were close in time and space. The result is a merged table available in text format. Overall, the size of the data set grew with 148 432 rows, with each row representing a unique station in space and time (cf. 136 250 rows in previous version; Valente et al., 2019). Observations of remote-sensing reflectance increased to 68 641 (cf. 59 781 in previous version; Valente et al., 2019). There was also a near tenfold increase in chlorophyll data since 2016. Metadata of each in situ measurement (original source, cruise or experiment, principal investigator) are included in the final table. By making the metadata available, provenance is better documented and it is also possible to analyse each set of data separately. The compiled data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.941318 (Valente et al., 2022)

Laboratory measurements of remote sensing reflectance of selected phytoplankton species from the Baltic Sea

Results of unique laboratory measurements of remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) of several phytoplankton species typically occurring in high abundances in the Baltic Sea waters are presented. Reflectance spectra for diatoms: Cyclotella meneghiniana and Skeletonema marinoi and cyanobacteria: Dolichospermum sp., Nodularia spumigena and Synechococcus sp. were analysed in terms of assessment of their characteristic features and the differences between them. These species contain similar pigments, which results in general similarities of reflectance spectra, i.e. decrease of reflectance magnitude in the blue and red spectrum regions. However, hyper-spectral resolution of optical measurements let us find differences between optical signatures of diatoms and cyanobacteria groups and between species belonging to one group as well. These differences are reflected in location of local maxima and minima in the reflectance spectrum and changes in relative height of characteristic peaks with changes of phytoplankton concentration. Wide ranges of phytoplankton concentrations were analysed in order to show the persistence of Rrscharacteristic features. The picoplankton species, Synechococcus sp. show the most distinct optical signature, which let to distinguish separate cluster in hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). The results can be used to calibrate input data into radiative transfer model, e.g. phase function or to validate modelled Rrsspectra

A novel statistical approach for ocean colour estimation of inherent optical properties and cyanobacteria abundance in optically complex waters

Eutrophication is an increasing problem in coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. Moreover, algal blooms, which occur every summer in the Gulf of Gdansk can deleteriously impact human health, the aquatic environment, and economically important fisheries, tourism, and recreation industries. Traditional laboratory-based techniques for water monitoring are expensive and time consuming, which usually results in limited numbers of observations and discontinuity in space and time. The use of hyperspectral radiometers for coastal water observation provides the potential for more detailed remote optical monitoring. A statistical approach to develop local models for the estimation of optically significant components from in situ measured hyperspectral remote sensing reflectance in case 2 waters is presented in this study. The models, which are based on empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis and stepwise multilinear regression, allow for the estimation of parameters strongly correlated with phytoplankton (pigment concentration, absorption coefficient) and coloured detrital matter abundance (absorption coefficient) directly from reflectance spectra measured in situ. Chlorophyll a concentration, which is commonly used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, was retrieved with low error (median percent difference, MPD = 17%, root mean square error RMSE = 0.14 in log10 space) and showed a high correlation with chlorophyll a measured in situ (R = 0.84). Furthermore, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin, both characteristic pigments for cyanobacteria species, were also retrieved reliably from reflectance with MPD = 23%, RMSE = 0.23, R2 = 0.77 and MPD = 24%, RMSE = 0.15, R2 = 0.74, respectively. The EOF technique proved to be accurate in the derivation of the absorption spectra of phytoplankton and coloured detrital matter (CDM), with R2 (?) above 0.83 and RMSE around 0.10. The approach was also applied to satellite multispectral remote sensing reflectance data, thus allowing for improved temporal and spatial resolution compared with the in situ measurements. The EOF method tested on simulated Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) or Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) data resulted in RMSE = 0.16 for chl-a and RMSE = 0.29 for phycocyanin. The presented methods, applied to both in situ and satellite data, provide a powerful tool for coastal monitoring and management

Use of bio-optical profiling float data in validation of ocean colour satellite products in a remote ocean region

Utility of data from autonomous profiling floats for the validation of satellite ocean colour products from current satellite ocean colour sensors was assessed using radiometric and chlorophyll a fluorescence data from bio-geochemical profiling floats (BGC-Argo) deployed in the subtropical gyre of the Indian Ocean. One of the floats was equipped with downward irradiance and upwelling radiance sensors, allowing the remote sensing reflectance, R-rs, to be determined. Comparisons between satellite and in situ R-rs, indicated good agreement for the shorter wavelengths, but weak relationships for both satellites for the 555 nm channel, and showed that radiometers deployed on multipurpose, off-the-shelf BGC-Argo floats can provide validation-quality measurements. About 300 chlorophyll a concentration match-ups were achieved within 18 months, which increased the number of validation data points available for the Indian Ocean as a whole by a factor of similar to 4 from the previous historical record. Generally, the satellite data agreed with the float-derived chlorophyll concentration within the uncertainty of +/- 35%, for the band-difference (OCI) and band-ratio (OC3) algorithms, but not for a semi analytical ocean colour model (GSM) that exhibited significantly higher chlorophyll values (> 100% mean difference). Our results indicate that autonomous float-based measurements provide substantial potential for improving regional validation of satellite ocean colour products in remote areas

Observational insights into chlorophyll distributions of subtropical South Indian Ocean eddies

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