Abstract

After atmospheric correction, the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) on Nimbus-7 provides the oceanic normalized waterleaving radiance¹ L at wavelengths of 443, 520, and 550 nm. From L, the standard CZCS biooptic algorithm for Case 1 waters can be used to estimate the phytoplankton pigment concentration C. The problem examined here is how to utilize these data to estimate L across the visible spectrum. The approach taken is to combine the CZCS-derived L values at 520 and 550 nm and C with the semianalytic model of ocean color derived by Gordon et al.¹ to estimate the scattering coefficient of the particles (plankton plus detrital material). The model is then applied to other wavelengths over the 370-595-nm spectral range and compared to Clark's² in-water radiance measurements. The results suggest that in Case 1 waters, L can be estimated over this range from measurements at the three CZCS wavelengths with an accuracy of 10-15%.

© 1989 Optical Society of America