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A global compilation of in situ data is useful to evaluate the quality of ocean-colour satellite data records. Here we describe the data compiled for the validation of the ocean-colour products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI). The data were acquired from several sources (including, inter alia, MOBY, BOUSSOLE, AERONET-OC, SeaBASS, NOMAD, MERMAID, AMT, ICES, HOT and GeP&CO) and span the period from 1997 to 2018. Observations of the following variables were compiled: spectral remote-sensing reflectances, concentrations of chlorophyll a, spectral inherent optical properties, spectral diffuse attenuation coefficients and total suspended matter. The data were from multi-project archives acquired via open internet services or from individual projects, acquired directly from data providers. Methodologies were implemented for homogenization, quality control and merging of all data. No changes were made to the original data, other than averaging of observations that were close in time and space, elimination of some points after quality control and conversion to a standard format. The final result is a merged table designed for validation of satellite-derived ocean-colour products and available in text format. Metadata of each in situ measurement (original source, cruise or experiment, principal investigator) was propagated throughout the work and made available in the final table. By making the metadata available, provenance is better documented, and it is also possible to analyse each set of data separately. This paper also describes the changes that were made to the compilation in relation to the previous version (Valente et al., 2016). The compiled data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.898188 (Valente et al., 2019)., Sí

The accuracy of primary satellite ocean color data products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on-board Aqua (MODIS-A) and the Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is investigated in the Western Black Sea using in situ measurements from the Gloria site included in the ocean color component of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-OC). The analysis is also extended to an additional well-established AERONET-OC site in the northern Adriatic Sea characterized by optically complex coastal waters exhibiting similarities to those observed at the Gloria site. Results from the comparison of normalized water-leaving radiance LWN indicate biases of a few percent between satellite-derived and in situ data at the center wavelengths relevant for the determination of chlorophyll a concentrations (443–547 nm, or equivalent). Remarkable is the consistency between the annual cycle determined with time series of satellite-derived and in situ LWN ratios at these center wavelengths. Contrarily, the differences between in situ and satellite-derived LWN are pronounced at the blue (i.e., 412 nm) and red (i.e., 667 nm, or equivalent) center wavelengths, confirming difficulties in confidently applying satellite-derived radiometric data from these spectral regions for quantitative analysis in optically complex waters.

Water-type (WT) definition as a function of bio-optical properties has relevance to the exploitation of satellite ocean color data because it may provide a mean to optimize the atmospheric correction process or select the most appropriate bio-optical algorithm for the determination of optically significant constituents in seawater. Within such a framework, this paper defines a WT index assuming the existence of two extreme conditions. On one side, there are waters with optical properties totally depending on the phytoplankton component. On the other side, waters characterized by fully unrelated bio-optical quantities. The index of intermediate WTs is then defined on a statistical basis, and the resulting scheme is applied to a set of experimental data collected in an optically complex coastal region. Finally, in view of supporting remote sensing applications, a neural network algorithm is implemented to identify WTs using the normalized water leaving radiance.

An autonomous above-water radiometer was operated during the summer of 2005 on the Gustaf Dalen Lighthouse Tower (GDLT) off the Swedish coast in the Baltic Proper. Normalized water leaving radiances, L-WN(lambda), produced from measurements performed with the autonomous system at various center-wavelengths lambda in the 412-675 nm spectral range, were applied within the context of water quality monitoring and satellite ocean color validation activities. Specifically these in situ radiometric data were used to determine the chlorophyll a concentration through a regional band-ratio algorithm and to assess L-WN(lambda) derived from top-of-atmosphere Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations. The in situ measurements collected during a bloom occurring in July 2005 were also used to investigate the spectral and small scale temporal-spatial variability of L-WN(lambda) in the presence of cyanobacteria.