Assessment of OLCI absorption coefficients for non-water components across all optical water classes

New products of water-inherent optical properties have been made operational by European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), on behalf of the EC Copernicus Programme, based on a three-step semi-analytical algorithm to derive absorption coefficient products for...

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Main Authors: Astrid Bracher, Andrew Clive Banks, Hongyan Xi, David Dessailly, Juan Gossn, Carole Lebreton, Rüdiger Röttgers, Ewa Kwiatkowska, Spyros Chaikalis, Ehsan Mehdipour, Elli Pitta, Mariana Altenburg Soppa, Jan Wevers, Christina Zeri
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Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsen.2025.1545664/full
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author Astrid Bracher
Astrid Bracher
Andrew Clive Banks
Hongyan Xi
David Dessailly
Juan Gossn
Carole Lebreton
Rüdiger Röttgers
Ewa Kwiatkowska
Spyros Chaikalis
Ehsan Mehdipour
Elli Pitta
Mariana Altenburg Soppa
Jan Wevers
Christina Zeri
author_facet Astrid Bracher
Astrid Bracher
Andrew Clive Banks
Hongyan Xi
David Dessailly
Juan Gossn
Carole Lebreton
Rüdiger Röttgers
Ewa Kwiatkowska
Spyros Chaikalis
Ehsan Mehdipour
Elli Pitta
Mariana Altenburg Soppa
Jan Wevers
Christina Zeri
author_sort Astrid Bracher
collection DOAJ
description New products of water-inherent optical properties have been made operational by European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), on behalf of the EC Copernicus Programme, based on a three-step semi-analytical algorithm to derive absorption coefficient products for all non-water components (anw), for phytoplankton (aphy), and for coloured detrital and dissolved matter (acdm), from the first eight bands of the Sentinel-3 (S3) Ocean and Land Colour Imager (OLCI). Additionally, based on a different type of retrieval, the absorption of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) from the OLCI 443 nm band, acdom(443), has been introduced as a new product. In this study, we evaluate for the first time these new absorption coefficient products for OLCI, based on validation with a large (up to 1,000), global, and comprehensive in situ matchup dataset covering all optical water classes, considering the first 7 years of the S3 mission. Results show robust retrievals for all four OLCI absorption products (Rlog of 0.68–0.86), with a median absolute percent deviation of 30%–51% across all water types for the 443 nm band and similarly for the 400, 412, 490, and 510 nm bands. Performance was strongest for anw(λ) and weakest for acdm(λ). Results for these products for bands 560, 620, and 665 nm are much poorer. The results for OLCI anw(λ), aphy(λ), and acdm(λ) are consistent with previous in situ validation results presented for the European Seas. To obtain a good assessment on the temporal and spatial consistency, the monthly aphy(443) and acdm(443) data from 2019 have been intercompared with other operationally available products. The intercomparisons show that all products agree well for their 2019 average median value and in their overall regional distribution and seasonal variation. EUMETSAT operational processing now delivers the absorption products for the 443 nm band [aphy(443), anw(443), acdm(443), and acdom(443)] for S3 OLCI, and our study confirms the validity of these products. Furthermore, our study corroborates the skill of the EUMETSAT algorithm to obtain valid information in most of the blue and green spectra, making it of high potential for introduction into the processing of ocean-colour radiometry data from new hyperspectral satellite missions.
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spelling doaj-art-be53acafbc4d40b48adb78277d59e2e92025-08-20T04:14:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Remote Sensing2673-61872025-08-01610.3389/frsen.2025.15456641545664Assessment of OLCI absorption coefficients for non-water components across all optical water classesAstrid Bracher0Astrid Bracher1Andrew Clive Banks2Hongyan Xi3David Dessailly4Juan Gossn5Carole Lebreton6Rüdiger Röttgers7Ewa Kwiatkowska8Spyros Chaikalis9Ehsan Mehdipour10Elli Pitta11Mariana Altenburg Soppa12Jan Wevers13Christina Zeri14Phytooptics Group, Physical Oceanography of the Polar Seas, Climate Department, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremen, GermanyInstitute of Environmental Physics, University Bremen, Bremen, GermanyInstitute of Oceanography Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Heraklion, Crete, GreecePhytooptics Group, Physical Oceanography of the Polar Seas, Climate Department, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremen, GermanyEuropean Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Darmstadt, Hessen, GermanyEuropean Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Darmstadt, Hessen, GermanyBrockmann Consult GmbH, Hamburg, GermanyOptical Oceanography, Institute of Carbon Cycles, Helmholtz-Zentrum HEREON, Geesthacht, GermanyEuropean Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Darmstadt, Hessen, GermanyInstitute of Oceanography Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Heraklion, Crete, GreecePhytooptics Group, Physical Oceanography of the Polar Seas, Climate Department, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremen, GermanyInstitute of Oceanography Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Heraklion, Crete, GreecePhytooptics Group, Physical Oceanography of the Polar Seas, Climate Department, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremen, GermanyBrockmann Consult GmbH, Hamburg, GermanyInstitute of Oceanography Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Heraklion, Crete, GreeceNew products of water-inherent optical properties have been made operational by European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), on behalf of the EC Copernicus Programme, based on a three-step semi-analytical algorithm to derive absorption coefficient products for all non-water components (anw), for phytoplankton (aphy), and for coloured detrital and dissolved matter (acdm), from the first eight bands of the Sentinel-3 (S3) Ocean and Land Colour Imager (OLCI). Additionally, based on a different type of retrieval, the absorption of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) from the OLCI 443 nm band, acdom(443), has been introduced as a new product. In this study, we evaluate for the first time these new absorption coefficient products for OLCI, based on validation with a large (up to 1,000), global, and comprehensive in situ matchup dataset covering all optical water classes, considering the first 7 years of the S3 mission. Results show robust retrievals for all four OLCI absorption products (Rlog of 0.68–0.86), with a median absolute percent deviation of 30%–51% across all water types for the 443 nm band and similarly for the 400, 412, 490, and 510 nm bands. Performance was strongest for anw(λ) and weakest for acdm(λ). Results for these products for bands 560, 620, and 665 nm are much poorer. The results for OLCI anw(λ), aphy(λ), and acdm(λ) are consistent with previous in situ validation results presented for the European Seas. To obtain a good assessment on the temporal and spatial consistency, the monthly aphy(443) and acdm(443) data from 2019 have been intercompared with other operationally available products. The intercomparisons show that all products agree well for their 2019 average median value and in their overall regional distribution and seasonal variation. EUMETSAT operational processing now delivers the absorption products for the 443 nm band [aphy(443), anw(443), acdm(443), and acdom(443)] for S3 OLCI, and our study confirms the validity of these products. Furthermore, our study corroborates the skill of the EUMETSAT algorithm to obtain valid information in most of the blue and green spectra, making it of high potential for introduction into the processing of ocean-colour radiometry data from new hyperspectral satellite missions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsen.2025.1545664/fullsatellite ocean colourvalidationinherent optical propertiesabsorption coefficientphytoplanktoncoloured dissolved organic matter
spellingShingle Astrid Bracher
Astrid Bracher
Andrew Clive Banks
Hongyan Xi
David Dessailly
Juan Gossn
Carole Lebreton
Rüdiger Röttgers
Ewa Kwiatkowska
Spyros Chaikalis
Ehsan Mehdipour
Elli Pitta
Mariana Altenburg Soppa
Jan Wevers
Christina Zeri
Assessment of OLCI absorption coefficients for non-water components across all optical water classes
Frontiers in Remote Sensing
satellite ocean colour
validation
inherent optical properties
absorption coefficient
phytoplankton
coloured dissolved organic matter
title Assessment of OLCI absorption coefficients for non-water components across all optical water classes
title_full Assessment of OLCI absorption coefficients for non-water components across all optical water classes
title_fullStr Assessment of OLCI absorption coefficients for non-water components across all optical water classes
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of OLCI absorption coefficients for non-water components across all optical water classes
title_short Assessment of OLCI absorption coefficients for non-water components across all optical water classes
title_sort assessment of olci absorption coefficients for non water components across all optical water classes
topic satellite ocean colour
validation
inherent optical properties
absorption coefficient
phytoplankton
coloured dissolved organic matter
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsen.2025.1545664/full
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