Chapter 7
Oceanic Chlorophyll-a Content
Chuanmin Hu and Janet Campbell
Abstract Ever since the first Earth-observing satellite was launched, it became
the dream of oceanographers to measure ocean chlorophyll a from space. Through
more than a decade of dedicated theoretical, laboratory, and field research, the
Coastal Zone Color Scanner was launched onboard NASA’s Nimbus-7 satellite in
1978. Originally intended as a proof-of-concept mission, the CZCS endured well
beyond its two-year design life (1978–1986), and provided oceanographers with
clear evidence that ocean chlorophyll a could be observed from space. Continued
community effort led to the successor missions of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-ofview Sensor (SeaWiFS, 1997–2010), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, 1999—present for Terra and 2002—present for Aqua), Medium
Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS, 2002–2012), and other modern satellite instruments. This chapter provides a brief review of how oceanic chlorophyll
a is ‘‘measured’’, validated, and used in various research studies and applications
including the ocean’s response to climate variability and the assessment of coastal
ocean changes to help resource management. Particular emphasis is given to
atmospheric correction, bio-optical inversion, and algorithm validation. Finally,
future satellite ocean color missions and research directions to support these
missions are briefly discussed.
C. Hu (&)
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: huc@usf.edu
J. Campbell
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham,
NH, USA
J. M. Hanes (ed.), Biophysical Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing,
Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-25047-7_7,
Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
171
Oceanic Chlorophyll-a Content
Chuanmin Hu and Janet Campbell
Abstract Ever since the first Earth-observing satellite was launched, it became
the dream of oceanographers to measure ocean chlorophyll a from space. Through
more than a decade of dedicated theoretical, laboratory, and field research, the
Coastal Zone Color Scanner was launched onboard NASA’s Nimbus-7 satellite in
1978. Originally intended as a proof-of-concept mission, the CZCS endured well
beyond its two-year design life (1978–1986), and provided oceanographers with
clear evidence that ocean chlorophyll a could be observed from space. Continued
community effort led to the successor missions of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-ofview Sensor (SeaWiFS, 1997–2010), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, 1999—present for Terra and 2002—present for Aqua), Medium
Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS, 2002–2012), and other modern satellite instruments. This chapter provides a brief review of how oceanic chlorophyll
a is ‘‘measured’’, validated, and used in various research studies and applications
including the ocean’s response to climate variability and the assessment of coastal
ocean changes to help resource management. Particular emphasis is given to
atmospheric correction, bio-optical inversion, and algorithm validation. Finally,
future satellite ocean color missions and research directions to support these
missions are briefly discussed.
C. Hu (&)
College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: huc@usf.edu
J. Campbell
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham,
NH, USA
J. M. Hanes (ed.), Biophysical Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing,
Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-25047-7_7,
Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
171