Phytoplankton composition and ocean color optical relationships on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf

Abstract:

Satellite ocean color imagery is widely available, but the next generation of hyperspectral sensors require new approaches and relationships toward estimating phytoplankton composition for complex nearshore environments like the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf. Developing relationships between coincident in situ optical and biological observations are necessary for regionally accurate hyperspectral algorithms. Continuous flow-through observations of inherent optical properties at hyperspectral resolution and particle imaging from an Imaging flow CytoBot were collected on a NOAA ecosystem monitoring cruise in August 2018. These coincident observations allow for an exploration of hyperspectral optical signatures associated with particular phytoplankton groups, in the presence of colored dissolved organic matter and non-algal particles. Here we characterize the variability in the optical signatures associated with contrasting phytoplankton communities to highlight potential considerations for improving phytoplankton composition retrievals from hyperspectral satellite imagery.