Abstract:

The spatial extent of surface bio-optical properties (chlorophyll-a, backscattering, absorption, light attenuation, etc.) can be determined from changes in satellite-detected water leaving radiance (Lw), enabling a synoptic, albeit two-dimensional view of various ocean parameters on a global basis. This wider field of view will enable a large-scale characterization of water properties in the sampling area, providing information that will allow the sampling vessel to target key features, such as river filaments. We have provided satellite-derived measurements from the Visual Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite. This sensor has 7 visible/near infrared moderate resolution (M)-bands (wavelengths = 410, 443, 486, 551, 671, 745, 865 nm) at a spatial resolution of 750-m. Raw calibrated radiance products were orthorectified and processed by USM to correct for atmospheric components and obtain the radiance signal emitted from the ocean (Lw). The spectral Lw is the basis for which subsequent bio-optical algorithms are calculated.

Suggested Citation:

Robert Arnone, Inia M. Soto, Ryan Vandermeulen, Mustafa K. Cambazoglu. 2019. VIIRS Satellite Remote Sensing of Ocean Color, January-April 2016, Gulf of Mexico. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7416V4D

Publications:

Arnone, R., Vandermuelen, R., Soto, I., Ladner, S., Ondrusek, M., & Yang, H. (2017). Diurnal changes in ocean color sensed in satellite imagery. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 11(3), 032406. doi:10.1117/1.jrs.11.032406

Arnone, R. A., Jones, B., Ladner , S., & Soto, I. (2018). Seasonal trends of biophysical ocean properties and anomalies across the Mississippi Shelf . Ocean Sensing and Monitoring X. doi:10.1117/12.2309427

Greer, A., Shiller, A., Hofmann, E., Wiggert, J., Warner, S., … Graham, W. (2018). Functioning of Coastal River-Dominated Ecosystems and Implications for Oil Spill Response: From Observations to Mechanisms and Models. Oceanography, 31(3). doi:10.5670/oceanog.2018.302

Parra, S. M., Sanial, V., Boyette, A. D., Cambazoglu, M. K., Soto, I. M., Greer, A. T., … Dinniman, M. S. (2020). Bonnet Carré Spillway freshwater transport and corresponding biochemical properties in the Mississippi Bight. Continental Shelf Research, 199, 104114. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2020.104114

Purpose:

Monitor the ocean color and chlorophyll-a in the Gulf of Mexico.

Data Parameters and Units:

Remote Sensing Reflectance (rrs; 410, 443, 486, 551, 671 nm), Total absorption (a; 410, 443, 486, 551, 671 nm), Backscattering (bb; 443, 486, 551, 671 nm), Phytoplankton absorption (aph; 443 nm), Detrital absorption (adg; 410 nm), Light attenuation (Kd; 490 nm), Euphotic depth (Zeu), Chlorophyll-a (mg/m3), Sea Surface Temperature (deg C), Beam attenuation (c; 551 nm)

Methods:

Satellite ocean color imagery from the VIIRS SNPP was downloaded from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS) website (http://www.class.ngdc.noaa.gov/) and processed to level-3 at 750m resolution using the Naval Research Laboratories’ N2gen code based on NASA’s L2gen software (Werdell et al., 2013) to derive the bio-optical properties for each orbit so that the changes in the satellite water leaving radiance (nLw) and changes in the bio-optical properties could be evaluated. The scenes were processed using standard atmospheric correction (Gordon and Wang, 1994) at a resolution of 750-m. Standard flags were used to mask contamination from land, clouds, sun glint, and other potential disturbances to the radiance signal. References: Werdell, P.J, Franz, B.A., Bailey, S.W., Feldman, G.C., et al., 2013. Generalized ocean color inversion model for retrieving marine inherent optical properties. Applied Optics 52, 2019-2037. Gordon, H.R., Wang, M. 1994. Retrieval of water-leaving radiance and aerosol optical thickness over the oceans with Sea-WiFS: a preliminary algorithm. Applied Optics 33,443-52.

Instruments:

Visual Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP)

Individual Files: