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INTRODUCTION
The color of the ocean as seen from space results from variability in the optical properties of
the upper ocean. Variations in the optical properties, absorption and scattering, modify the
spectral and geometrical distribution of the underwater light field and likewise alter the
spectral distribution of the water-leaving radiance and hence the color of the sea.
Knowledge and prediction of the variability in these oceanic optical properties are fundamental
to both physical and biological oceanography. Absorption and scattering control the
penetration and spectral composition of irradiance in the sea and this radiation not only fuels
the the marine food chain but also modifies the local temperature field and influences upper
ocean thermal dynamics.
The ability to view the global ocean from space has greatly expanded the scope of marine
optics and has revolutionized oceanography. This is particularly true in the understanding of
ocean biogeochemical cycles; the synoptic view of the variability in the global ocean's color
during the 8 years that the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) operated has drastically
changed our understanding of biological oceanographic processes.
The optical properties of the upper ocean are determined by biogenic particles and dissolved
material. Variations in the concentration of organic particles and dissolved compounds alter
the optical properties; conversely, variations in the optical properties result in variations in
photosynthesis which produces the organic material. Keys to an understanding of variability
in ocean optics are both an understanding of upper ocean biogeochemical cycles and, as well,
an understanding of the feedback by which optical variability results in biological variability.
The satellite observations of ocean color provide a global view; however, they only resolve,
or average over, spatial scales of order 1 km, nine orders of magnitude larger than the
phytoplankton and bacterial cells which collectively are responsible for most of the variability
in the color of the sea. The scale of the phytoplankton can be observed by microscopy or flow
cytometry but synoptic measurements are not provided. To forge the linkage between the
small scale biological processes and properties, which occur at the level of the individual cell,
and the large scale forcing and ocean response in terms of ocean color, is one of the most
INTRODUCTION
The color of the ocean as seen from space results from variability in the optical properties of
the upper ocean. Variations in the optical properties, absorption and scattering, modify the
spectral and geometrical distribution of the underwater light field and likewise alter the
spectral distribution of the water-leaving radiance and hence the color of the sea.
Knowledge and prediction of the variability in these oceanic optical properties are fundamental
to both physical and biological oceanography. Absorption and scattering control the
penetration and spectral composition of irradiance in the sea and this radiation not only fuels
the the marine food chain but also modifies the local temperature field and influences upper
ocean thermal dynamics.
The ability to view the global ocean from space has greatly expanded the scope of marine
optics and has revolutionized oceanography. This is particularly true in the understanding of
ocean biogeochemical cycles; the synoptic view of the variability in the global ocean's color
during the 8 years that the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) operated has drastically
changed our understanding of biological oceanographic processes.
The optical properties of the upper ocean are determined by biogenic particles and dissolved
material. Variations in the concentration of organic particles and dissolved compounds alter
the optical properties; conversely, variations in the optical properties result in variations in
photosynthesis which produces the organic material. Keys to an understanding of variability
in ocean optics are both an understanding of upper ocean biogeochemical cycles and, as well,
an understanding of the feedback by which optical variability results in biological variability.
The satellite observations of ocean color provide a global view; however, they only resolve,
or average over, spatial scales of order 1 km, nine orders of magnitude larger than the
phytoplankton and bacterial cells which collectively are responsible for most of the variability
in the color of the sea. The scale of the phytoplankton can be observed by microscopy or flow
cytometry but synoptic measurements are not provided. To forge the linkage between the
small scale biological processes and properties, which occur at the level of the individual cell,
and the large scale forcing and ocean response in terms of ocean color, is one of the most