Comparison of SeaWiFS and MODIS time series of inherent optical properties for the Adriatic Sea

• Main Author: F. Mélin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2011-05-01
• Series: Ocean Science
• Online Access: http://www.ocean-sci.net/7/351/2011/os-7-351-2011.pdf

Time series of inherent optical properties (IOPs) derived from SeaWiFS and MODIS are compared for the Adriatic Sea. The IOPs are outputs of the Quasi-Analytical Algorithm and include total absorption <i>a</i>, phytoplankton absorption <i>a</i><sub>ph</sub>, absorption associated with colored detrital material (CDM) <i>a</i><sub>cdm</sub>, and particle backscattering coefficient <i>b</i><sub>bp</sub>. The average root-mean square difference Δ computed for log-transformed distributions decreases for $a$ from 0.084 at 412 nm to 0.052 at 490 nm, is higher for <i>a</i><sub>ph</sub>(443) (0.149) than for <i>a</i><sub>cdm</sub>(443) (0.071), and is approximately 0.165 for <i>b</i><sub>bp</sub> at various wavelengths. The SeaWiFS <i>a</i> at 443 and 490 nm, <i>a</i><sub>ph</sub> at 443 nm and <i>b</i><sub>bp</sub> are on average higher than the MODIS counterparts. Statistics show significant variations in space and time. There is an overall increasing gradient for Δ associated with the absorption terms from the open southern and central Adriatic to the northwest part of the basin, and a reversed gradient for the particulate backscattering coefficient. For time series analysis, only <i>a</i>(412) and <i>a</i><sub>cdm</sub>(443) currently present an unbiased continuity bridging the SeaWiFS and MODIS periods for the Adriatic Sea.