Ocean Color
D5. Coastal processes, sea-level, cryosphere and ocean observation scienceDefinition
Visible light reflectance used to estimate phytoplankton and CDOM.
Ocean color is the spectrum of visible light leaving the sea surface, measured by satellite radiometers to estimate near-surface chlorophyll, suspended sediment, and colored dissolved organic matter. After atmospheric correction removes the bright Rayleigh and aerosol signal, the remote-sensing reflectance yields phytoplankton biomass and primary-productivity proxies. The record runs from SeaWiFS through MODIS to Sentinel-3, and is the main way the global distribution of marine plant life and its seasonal blooms are tracked.