Assessment of OLCI-A Derived Aquatic Optical Properties Across European Seas

Marine data products from the Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI-A) operated onboard the Copernicus Sentinel 3A satellite, were assessed using in situ reference measurements representative of various European Seas. Results from the evaluation of spectral inherent optical properties indicated substantial accuracy for the satellite-derived absorption coefficient of pigmented particles a(ph)(OLCI-A )(?), the diffuse attenuation coefficient of downward irradiance KOLCI-A d (?, ), and the backscattering coefficient of marine particles b( bp)(OLCI-A)(?). Conversely, large underestimates were shown for the spectral absorption coefficient of non-water constituents a(OLCI-A) nw (?) and the cumulative absorption coefficient of colored dissolved organic matter and of non-pigmented particles a(dg)(OLCI-A ) (? ).

Automated summary

The accuracy of marine data products derived from the Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI-A) on the Copernicus Sentinel 3A satellite was assessed using in situ reference measurements from various European Seas. The evaluation showed that satellite-derived absorption, diffuse attenuation, and backscattering coefficients had substantial accuracy, while underestimates were observed for the absorption coefficients of non-water constituents and colored dissolved organic matter.