Ocean Science
Ocean Science
OS
Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-12-1279-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-12-1279-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
Technical note
 | 
22 Dec 2016
Technical note |  | 22 Dec 2016

Technical note: Algal Pigment Index 2 in the Atlantic off the southwest Iberian Peninsula: standard and regional algorithms

Priscila Goela, Sónia Cristina, Tamito Kajiyama, John Icely, Gerald Moore, Bruno Fragoso, and Alice Newton

Abstract. In this study, Algal Pigment Index 2 (API2) is investigated in Sagres, an area located in the Atlantic off the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. Standard results provided by the MEdium Resolution Image Spectrometer (MERIS) ocean colour sensor were compared with alternative data products, determined through a regional inversion scheme, using both MERIS and in situ remote sensing reflectances (Rrs) as input data. The reference quantity for performance assessment is in situ total chlorophyll a (TChl a) concentration estimated through a phytoplankton absorption coefficient (i.e. equivalent to API2). Additional comparison of data products has also been addressed for TChl a concentration determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The MERIS matchup analysis revealed a systematic underestimation of TChl a, which was confirmed with an independent comparison of product map analysis. The study demonstrates the importance of regional algorithms for the study area that could complement upcoming standard results of the current Sentinel-3/OLCI space mission.

How to cite. Goela, P., Cristina, S., Kajiyama, T., Icely, J., Moore, G., Fragoso, B., and Newton, A.: Technical note: Algal Pigment Index 2 in the Atlantic off the southwest Iberian Peninsula: standard and regional algorithms, Ocean Sci., 12, 1279–1288, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-12-1279-2016, 2016.
Received: 03 Jun 2016 – Discussion started: 05 Jul 2016 – Revised: 14 Oct 2016 – Accepted: 27 Nov 2016 – Published: 22 Dec 2016
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Short summary
In this study, the MERIS (ocean colour sensor from European Space Agency) algorithm for the quantification of chlorophyll a in coastal waters – API2 – is investigated in an area located in the Atlantic off the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. The study demonstrates the importance of regional algorithms for the study area that could complement upcoming standard results of the present Sentinel-3/OLCI space mission.
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