Remote Sensing of Water Quality in Coastal Zones on the Example of MERIS Data in the Baltic Sea

Andreas Neumann, Harald Krawczyk, Thomas Walzel
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF)
Rutherfordstraße 2, D-12489 Berlin
andreas.neumann@dlr.de, harald.krawczyk@dlr.de, thomas.walzel@dlr.de

Erik Borg, Bernd Fichtelmann
German Aerospace Center (DLR), German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD)
Kalkhorstweg 53, D-17235 Neustrelitz
erik.borg@dlr.de, bernd.fichtelmann@dlr.de

ABSTRACT

Knowledge of the current ecological state is of vital importance for costal zone management. Due to the optical complexity of coastal waters compared to the open ocean, more sophisticated instruments and algorithms are needed to derive relevant variables. Satellite remote sensing allows the spatial and temporal assessment of various physical, biological and ecological parameters of water bodies on global and regional scales.

Based on an existing automated processing chain for MOS–data which was developed as a precursor to MERIS, an operational remote sensing interpretation algorithm specifically adapted to the properties of the Baltic Sea has been implemented. It allows in near real time the computation of concentration maps of phytoplankton, sediment and yellow substance from MERIS full resolution data.

The used models and inversion method will be reviewed and demonstrated on the investigation of a time series of available MERIS data from 2003/2004. A time series of pigment concentrations of the area will be demonstrated and a first statistical analysis made. Recent results from the validation process confirm good accuracy.

In this context it is evident, that automation and standardisation of value adding processing is an important basis to support near real-time requests from the users side. The work was performed in the frame of the German national ”MERIS Application and Regional Products Project” (MAPP) funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research and is linked to the ENVISAT Cat-1 proposal ”Generation of MERIS level 3 products for European Multidisciplinary Regional applications” (GEMEL3, ID1413). Project partners are GKSS, Brockmann Consult and the Free University of Berlin. Key research activities to develop and promote the operational use of satellite data for monitoring and understanding processes in the Baltic Sea will be discussed. Based on these results future activities and perspectives for contributions to operational monitoring systems including user support will be presented, in particular possible contributions to GMES. Therefore, future work aims at the automation of the calculation within the scope of a fully automated processing chain. Corresponding modules are currently being developed at the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) and German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD).

Last Update: 2005-03-16