Improving chlorophyll-a retrievals and cross-sensor consistency through the OCI algorithm concept

Abstract: The recently developed band-subtraction based OCI chlorophyll-a algorithm is more tolerant than the band-ratio OCx algorithms to errors from atmospheric correction and other sources in oligotrophic oceans (Chl ≤ 0.25 mg m^-3), and it has been implemented by NASA as the default algorithm to produce global Chl data from all ocean color missions. However, two areas still require improvements in its current implementation. Firstly, the originally proposed algorithm switch between oligotrophic and more productive waters has been changed from 0.25 – 0.3 mg m^-3 to 0.15 – 0.2 mg m^-3 to account for the observed discontinuity in data statistics. Additionally, the algorithm does not account for variable proportions of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in different ocean basins. Here, new step-wise regression equations with fine-tuned regression coefficients are used to improve raise the algorithm switch zone and to improve data statistics as well as retrieval accuracy. A new CDOM index (CDI) based on three spectral bands (412, 443 and 490 nm) is used as a weighting factor to adjust the algorithm for the optical disparities between different oceans. The updated Chl OCI algorithm is then evaluated for its overall accuracy using field observations through the SeaBASS data archive, and for its cross-sensor consistency using multi-sensor observations over the global oceans.

Keywords: Chlorophyll-a, Remote sensing, Ocean color, OCI, OCx, CDOM, MODIS, SeaWiFS, VIIRS