Open AccessImpacts of pure seawater absorption coefficient on remotely sensed inherent optical properties in oligotrophic waters
Author(s) -
Xiaolong Yu,
Zhongping Lee,
Jianwei Wei,
Shuo Shang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.27.034974
Subject(s) - ocean color , seawater , ocean gyre , environmental science , attenuation coefficient , phytoplankton , satellite , absorption (acoustics) , oceanography , remote sensing , subtropics , atmospheric sciences , optics , physics , geology , chemistry , nutrient , organic chemistry , astronomy , fishery , biology
The spectral absorption coefficient of pure seawater (a w (λ)) in published studies differ significantly in the blue domain, yet the impacts of such discrepancies on the inherent optical properties (IOPs) derived from ocean color have been scarcely documented. In this study, we confirm that changes in a w (λ) may have significant impacts on retrieved IOPs in oligotrophic waters, especially for the phytoplankton absorption coefficient (a ph (λ)). Two sets of a w (λ) data, a w _PF97 (Appl. Opt. 36, 8710, 1997) and a w _Lee15 (Appl. Opt. 54, 546, 2015), were selected for optical inversion analysis. It is found that a ph (λ) retrieved with a w _Lee15 agree better with the in-situ measurements in oligotrophic waters. Further applications to satellite images show that the derived a ph (λ) using a w _Lee15 can be up to 238% higher than the retrievals using a w _PF97 in the core zone of the subtropical ocean gyres. Given that a w _PF97 is commonly accepted as the "standard" a w (λ) by the ocean color community in the past decades, this study highlights the need and importance to update a w (λ) with a w _Lee15 for IOPs retrievals in oligotrophic waters.