thermal inertia, and at the same time active participation in heat transport, generation of cloud cover and a significant contribution to global carbon cycling, the
World’s oceans play the key role in the formation and dynamics of global climate.
Fully acknowledging the importance of the ecological state of open/pelagic
regions of the oceans and associated seas, the importance of the ecological state
of coastal marine and lacustrine zones should not be overlooked with regard to the
overall status of the biosphere on the planet as well as in light of the fact that of a
variety of sectors of economy in many countries are dependant totally upon the
ecological state of such “marginal” aquatic environments. Such peripheral water
zones are pivotal being the richest sources of food (marine food, in the first place),
industrial raw materials/feedstock, as well as sources/resources of water for the
benefits of economy and population.
However, due to significant spatial extension of aquatic bodies and, as a rule,
remarkable dynamics of inherent biological processes, the traditional shipborne
water sampling measurements are incapable to provide the space and time resolution required for adequate monitoring of the ecological state of such dynamic
hydrological and biogeochemical environments. In this sense, remote sensing
means/approaches provide most appropriate facilities, especially if they are
mounted on aircraft or satellite platforms.
This naturally explains that a number of international and national organizations
and agencies have launched/deployed wide-scale scientific research programs
aimed at studying in depth the physical, chemical and biological processes
(first and foremost, driven by anthropogenic forces) in the “Earth-Atmosphere”
system. Importantly, such programs imply a wide use of remote sensing means of
observation (predominantly constituting the payloads of environmental satellite
platforms) to provide on a routine basis of quantitative assessments of key
parameters characterizing the dynamics of on going changes.
By definition, remote sensing means provide data through indirect measurements. Most often, they operate with electromagnetic waves as information
carriers. The signal adopted by the remote sensor is then analyzed by means of
dedicated algorithms with a result of yielding the sought-for parameter.
The development of such algorithms is based on the knowledge and formal
description (by various methodologies) of the processes of electromagnetic radiation transfer through both the object of investigation as well as the media
intervening between the study object and the remote sensor.
When sounding aquatic media, it is reasonable to employ the range of the
electromagnetic spectrum, which is less absorbed/attenuated by the target water
column (i.e. the spectral range in which the water is most transparent). Such a range
is confined between ~400 and ~ 700 nm, i.e. encapsulated in the visible part of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
The Practices Nos. 15–17 are dedicated to studying optical properties of the
water column in the visible with the application of such an apparent hydro-optical
characteristic as the coefficient of light diffuse reflection.
156
16 Quantification and Analysis of the Spectral Composition
World’s oceans play the key role in the formation and dynamics of global climate.
Fully acknowledging the importance of the ecological state of open/pelagic
regions of the oceans and associated seas, the importance of the ecological state
of coastal marine and lacustrine zones should not be overlooked with regard to the
overall status of the biosphere on the planet as well as in light of the fact that of a
variety of sectors of economy in many countries are dependant totally upon the
ecological state of such “marginal” aquatic environments. Such peripheral water
zones are pivotal being the richest sources of food (marine food, in the first place),
industrial raw materials/feedstock, as well as sources/resources of water for the
benefits of economy and population.
However, due to significant spatial extension of aquatic bodies and, as a rule,
remarkable dynamics of inherent biological processes, the traditional shipborne
water sampling measurements are incapable to provide the space and time resolution required for adequate monitoring of the ecological state of such dynamic
hydrological and biogeochemical environments. In this sense, remote sensing
means/approaches provide most appropriate facilities, especially if they are
mounted on aircraft or satellite platforms.
This naturally explains that a number of international and national organizations
and agencies have launched/deployed wide-scale scientific research programs
aimed at studying in depth the physical, chemical and biological processes
(first and foremost, driven by anthropogenic forces) in the “Earth-Atmosphere”
system. Importantly, such programs imply a wide use of remote sensing means of
observation (predominantly constituting the payloads of environmental satellite
platforms) to provide on a routine basis of quantitative assessments of key
parameters characterizing the dynamics of on going changes.
By definition, remote sensing means provide data through indirect measurements. Most often, they operate with electromagnetic waves as information
carriers. The signal adopted by the remote sensor is then analyzed by means of
dedicated algorithms with a result of yielding the sought-for parameter.
The development of such algorithms is based on the knowledge and formal
description (by various methodologies) of the processes of electromagnetic radiation transfer through both the object of investigation as well as the media
intervening between the study object and the remote sensor.
When sounding aquatic media, it is reasonable to employ the range of the
electromagnetic spectrum, which is less absorbed/attenuated by the target water
column (i.e. the spectral range in which the water is most transparent). Such a range
is confined between ~400 and ~ 700 nm, i.e. encapsulated in the visible part of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
The Practices Nos. 15–17 are dedicated to studying optical properties of the
water column in the visible with the application of such an apparent hydro-optical
characteristic as the coefficient of light diffuse reflection.
156
16 Quantification and Analysis of the Spectral Composition