Development of an Inverse Model from Ocean Reflectance

Abstract

An inverse ocean color model with three components—chlorophyll, suspended sediment and dissolved organic matter—is developed to extract the constituents of seawater from the surface reflectance (400‐700 nm) in oligotrophic, eutrophic and turbid waters. Ocean reflectance obtained from just beneath the sea surface by a spectral radiometer (with 61 bands) is associated with four specific absorption and backscattering coefficients of seawater constituents, including heterotrophic organisms and seawater itself. Although many semi-analytical methods have been used before, this is the first time to apply a purely analytical technique to the inverse model. A known radiative transfer theory was applied to extract the constituents. The model results showed good agreement between the measured values in seawaters and simulated values.