Reference measurements from AERONET-OC to assess Earth Observation data

• Main Authors: SCIUTO Pietro, MELIN Frederic, CAZZANIGA Ilaria, BULGARELLI Barbara
• Language: English
• Published: Publications Office of the European Union 2024
• Subjects: Aerosol Robotic Network
• Online Access: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC136578; https://doi.org/10.2760/245775

Ocean colour remote sensing provides a diverse suite of data products of relevance for monitoring marine ecosystems and understanding their dynamics and role in ecology and climate. Reference field measurements of the primary ocean colour product, the remote sensing reflectance RRS, are required to characterize its uncertainties. In support of the Copernicus programme, the collection of reference field measurements of RRS is among the objectives of the Fiducial Ocean and Land Earth Observations (FOLEO) JRC project. For that purpose, the JRC is currently managing, in close collaboration with Member States, the operations of autonomous radiometers part of the Ocean Color component of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-OC) on off-shore structures at nine sites (six in European seas, one in a Swedish lake, one in the Canary Islands and one offshore Kenya). After a brief description of the sites, the measurement protocol and the data processing are described. The data collection relies on a significant logistical effort, including shipping instruments and installations on the distributed sites, as well as laboratory work like calibration of instruments; the related activities are summarized for the years 2022 and 2023. Then, the data collected and their application for the validation of Copernicus Sentinel-3 RRS data are illustrated, again with a focus on the period 2022-2023. Considering the last year of operation for each site, more than 250 validation points were obtained for both Sentinel-3A and -3B. JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Water