Atmospheric correction of ENVISAT/MERIS data over inland waters: Validation for European lakes

Traditional methods for aerosol retrieval and atmospheric correction of remote sensing data over water surfaces are based on the assumption of zero water reflectance in the near-infrared. Another type of approach which is becoming very popular in atmospheric correction over water is based on the simultaneous retrieval of atmospheric and water parameters through the inversion of coupled atmospheric and bio-optical water models. Both types of approaches may lead to substantial errors over optically-complex water bodies, such as case II waters, in which a wide range of temporal and spatial variations in the concentration of water constituents is expected. This causes the water reflectance in t…

Brown and green LAI mapping through spectral indices

Abstract When crops senescence, leaves remain until they fall off or are harvested. Hence, leaf area index (LAI) stays high even when chlorophyll content degrades to zero. Current LAI approaches from remote sensing techniques are not optimized for estimating LAI of senescent vegetation. In this paper a two-step approach has been proposed to realize simultaneous LAI mapping over green and senescent croplands. The first step separates green from brown LAI by means of a newly proposed index, ‘Green Brown Vegetation Index (GBVI)’. This index exploits two shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral bands centred at 2100 and 2000 nm, which fall right in the dry matter absorption regions, thereby providing…

Calibration and Validation of Algorithms for the Estimation of Chlorophyll-A in Inland Waters with Sentinel-2

The Ocean Color 2 (OC2), Ocean Color 3 (OC3) and Dall'Olmo three-band (TBDO) algorithms used for the estimation of the chlorophyll-a concentration [Chl-a] have been calibrated and validated for Sentinel-2 spectral bands. Measurements of in situ chlorophyll-a, radiometry and simulations with HydroLight have been used for this purpose within the Ecological Status of AQuatic Systems Satellites (ESAQS) Project to estimate water quality in aquatic systems in Spain. The results show that Sentinel-2 spectral bands are suitable for studying the chlorophyll-a concentration in inland waters. The TBDO algorithm have been applied to Sentinel-2 images and satisfactory results have been obtained in Albuf…

HICO L1 and L2 data processing: Radiometric recalibration, atmospheric correction and retrieval of water quality parameters

The Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) is an imaging spectrometer designed with a very high signal-to-noise ratio to monitor coastal ocean and inland waters. The processing of Top-Of-Atmosphere radiance data down to surface reflectance is fundamental for the retrieval of water quality products. However, the current HICO processing chain does not provide atmospheric corrected data nor higher-level water quality products. This paper describes the algorithms implemented within an HICO data processing chain that includes image pre-processing, atmospheric correction and the retrieval of water quality parameters. The implemented algorithms have been validated over a set of HICO ima…

Comparison of MODIS and Landsat-8 retrievals of Chlorophyll-a and water temperature over Lake Titicaca

Chlorophyll-a concentration ([Chl-a]) and Lake Surface Temperature (LST) were retrieved in Lake Titicaca (Peru-Bolivia) using MODIS and Landsat-8 images. The lake was chosen as a case-study for evaluating the feasibility of Landsat-8 images for [Chl-a] and LST monitoring in oligotrophic and mesotrophic water bodies. The big size of the lake and its spatial and temporal variability, allowed the comparison of MODIS and Landsat-8 products for a wide range of [Chl-a] and LST. The atmospheric correction of the images was facilitated by the very high altitude of the lake. MODIS images were processed with standard ocean color algorithms whereas for Landsat-8, specific algorithms were tested and va…

HICO level-2 data processing toolbox for the atmospheric correction and the retrieval of water quality parameters

The Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) is an imaging spectrometer specifically designed to monitor the coastal ocean. The processing of Top-Of-Atmosphere (TOA) radiance data down to surface reflectance is fundamental for the retrieval of water quality products. However, the current HICO processing chain does not provide atmospheric corrected data nor higher-level water quality products. This work describes a toolbox for the atmospheric correction of HICO data and the retrieval of water quality products. The HICO toolbox, consisting on three main modules (image pre-processing, atmospheric correction and retrieval of water quality products), has been used over a set of HICO ima…

Optical types of inland and coastal waters

Inland and coastal waterbodies are critical components of the global biosphere. Timely monitoring is necessary to enhance our understanding of their functions, the drivers impacting on these functions and to deliver more effective management. The ability to observe waterbodies from space has led to Earth observation (EO) becoming established as an important source of information on water quality and ecosystem condition. However, progress toward a globally valid EO approach is still largely hampered by inconsistences over temporally and spatially variable in-water optical conditions. In this study, a comprehensive dataset from more than 250 aquatic systems, representing a wide range of condi…

Prototyping Sentinel-2 green LAI and brown LAI products for cropland monitoring.

Abstract For agricultural applications, identification of non-photosynthetic above-ground vegetation is of great interest as it contributes to assess harvest practices, detecting crop residues or drought events, as well as to better predict the carbon, water and nutrients uptake. While the mapping of green Leaf Area Index (LAI) is well established, current operational retrieval models are not calibrated for LAI estimation over senescent, brown vegetation. This not only leads to an underestimation of LAI when crops are ripening, but is also a missed monitoring opportunity. The high spatial and temporal resolution of Sentinel-2 (S2) satellites constellation offers the possibility to estimate …

FLEX/S3 Tandem Mission Performance Assessment: Evolution of the End-to-End Simulator Flex-E

An End-to-end simulator (E2ES) is a tool to evaluate the performance of a satellite mission. Once a mission is approved for operation, E2ES evolves during Phase C/D to become a supporting tool for the development and validation of the ground data processor, as well as for simulating data sets to test the Prototype and Operational Processors. FLEX-E is the E2ES of the FLEX/Sentinel-3 tandem mission, which was selected in 2015 as ESA's eighth Earth Explorer. The FLEX-E evolution implies the consolidation of all the retrieval algorithms (e.g. fluorescence, reflectance, biophysical variables), the implementation of new scientific developments, as well the improvement of the co-registration proc…

Misión FLEX (Fluorescence Explorer): Observación de la fluorescencia por teledetección como nueva técnica de estudio del estado de la vegetación terrestre a escala global

[EN] FLEX (Fluorescence EXplorer) is a candidate for the 8th ESA’s Earth Explorer mission. Is the first space mission specifically designed for the estimation of vegetation fluorescence on a global scale. The mission is proposed to fly in tandem with the future ESA´s Sentinel-3 satellite. It is foreseen that the information obtained by Sentinel-3 will be supplemented with that provided by FLORIS (Fluorescence Imaging Spectrometer) onboard FLEX. FLORIS will measure the radiance between 500 and 800 nm with a bandwidth between 0.1 nm and 2 nm, providing images with a 150 km swath and 300 m pixel size. This information will allow a detailed monitoring of vegetation dynamics, by improving the me…

Evaluation and reformulation of the maximum peak height algorithm (MPH) and application in a hypertrophic lagoon

The flex end-to-end simulator: From concept phase (A/B1) to ground segment and operations (C/D)

ESA's FLEX/Sentinel-3 tandem mission aims at mapping Sun-induced fluorescence (SIF) as a proxy to quantify photosynthetic activity of terrestrial vegetation. Due to the complexity of the mission concept and stringent requirements for the data processing algorithms, ESA developed a Phase A/B1 End-to-End Mission Performance Simulator (E2ES) tool to reproduce the expected mission performance and check the mission and instrument concepts. In the current Phase C/D, the E2ES concept must evolve to consolidate the whole data processing chain, providing an accurate figures of the whole mission error budget and serving as a roadmap for the future development of FLEX Ground Segment. This paper gives …

Remote sensing of cyanobacterial blooms in a hypertrophic lagoon (Albufera of València, Eastern Iberian Peninsula) using multitemporal Sentinel-2 images

Eutrophy in Albufera of Valencia (Eastern Iberian Peninsula) is a quite old problem since after the intense eutrophication processes throughout the 1960s. The system shifted to a turbid stable state consolidated by the virtual disappearance of macrophytes by the early 1970s. The lagoon has been studied extensively since the 1980s, but efforts to revert the system to a clear state have not yielded the expected results because cultural eutrophication due to the growth of population in its area of influence and the effects of climate change, decreasing rainfall and increasing evaporation. This has driven to an increase in water retention times in the lagoon in recent years, resulting in a phyt…

Turbidez y profundidad de disco de Secchi con Sentinel-2 en embalses con diferente estado trófico en la Comunidad Valenciana

[ES] En los estudios de calidad de aguas por teledetección, uno de los principales indicadores es la transparencia o turbidez del agua. La transparencia puede ser medida in situ mediante la profundidad del disco de Secchi (SD), y la turbidez con un turbidímetro. En las últimas décadas se han utilizado diferentes relaciones entre bandas de diferentes sensores obtenidas por teledetección para la estimación de estos parámetros. En este trabajo, a partir de datos de campo obtenidos a lo largo de 2017 y 2018 en embalses de la cuenca del Júcar con gran variedad de estados tróficos, se han calibrado diferentes índices y bandas para poder estimar la transparencia a partir de imágenes Sentinel-2 (S2…

Modelo empírico para la determinación de clorofila-a en aguas continentales a partir de los futuros Sentinel-2 y 3. Validación con imágenes HICO

[EN] Chlorophyll-a concentration is one of the main indicators of inland waters quality. Using CHRIS/PROBA images and in situ data obtained in four lakes in Colombia and Spain, we obtained empirical models for the estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration, which can be directly applied to future images of MSI Sentinel-2 and OLCI Sentinel-3 sensors. The models, based on spectral band indices, were validated with data from the hyperspectral sensor HICO, onboard of the International Space Station.

Operational cloud screening service for Sentinel-2 image time series

This paper deals with the development and implementation of a cloud screening algorithm for image time series, with the focus on the forthcoming Sentinel-2 satellites to be launched under the ESA Copernicus Programme. The proposed methodology is based on kernel ridge regression and exploits the temporal information to detect anomalous changes that correspond to cloud covers. The huge data volumes to be processed when dealing with high temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution datasets motivate the implementation of the algorithm within distributed computer resources. In consequence, an operational cloud screening service has been specifically designed and implemented in the frame of the Se…

Advancing cyanobacteria biomass estimation from hyperspectral observations: Demonstrations with HICO and PRISMA imagery

Retrieval of the phycocyanin concentration (PC), a characteristic pigment of, and proxy for, cyanobacteria biomass, from hyperspectral satellite remote sensing measurements is challenging due to uncertainties in the remote sensing reflectance (?R) resulting from atmospheric correction and instrument radiometric noise. Although several individual algorithms have been proven to capture local variations in cyanobacteria biomass in specific regions, their performance has not been assessed on hyperspectral images from satellite sensors. Our work leverages a machine-learning model, Mixture Density Networks (MDNs), trained on a large (N = 939) dataset of collocated in situ chlorophyll-a concentrat…

A New Algorithm for the Retrieval of Sun Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence of Water Bodies Exploiting the Detailed Spectral Shape of Water-Leaving Radiance

Sun induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SICF) emitted by phytoplankton provides considerable insights into the vital role of the carbon productivity of the earth’s aquatic ecosystems. However, the SICF signal leaving a water body is highly affected by the high spectral variability of its optically active constituents. To disentangle the SICF emission from the water-leaving radiance, a new high spectral resolution retrieval algorithm is presented, which significantly improves the fluorescence line height (FLH) method commonly used so far. The proposed algorithm retrieves the reflectance without SICF contribution by the extrapolation of the reflectance from the adjacent regions. Then, the SICF …

Desarrollo de productos avanzados para la misión SEOSAT/Ingenio

SEOSAT/Ingenio es la futura misión española de observación de la Tierra en el óptico en alta resolución espacial. Mientras que los productos de imagen a Nivel 1, radiancias geo-referenciadas a nivel de sensor, se encuentran en una fase avanzada de desarrollo existiendo para ello un contrato industrial, los productos de Nivel 2 deben ser desarrollados por los propios usuarios. Este hecho limita el uso de las imágenes a la comunidad científica, restringiendo sus posibles aplicaciones fuera de ésta. Así pues, bajo el marco de un proyecto coordinado y motivados por ofrecer productos de Ingenio/SEOSAT de Nivel 2 a disposición de cualquier usuario, se origina y desarrolla este trabajo. En este ar…

Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain) chlorophyll-a and turbidity estimation with Sentinel-2

Mar Menor is a Mediterranean Coastal lagoon with high environmental and social value, but has suffered important episodes of contamination in recent years due to heavy rains, sediment dragging and polluting substances mainly from agriculture as well as the entry of mining waste, causing an increase in eutrophication. Water quality variables such as chlorophyll-a concentration [Chl-a] and turbidity, can be studied through its optical properties by remote sensing techniques. In this work, a methodology is proposed for monitoring [Chl-a] and the turbidity of the Mar Menor using Sentinel-2 images. For this purpose, an extensive database of both variables was used consisting of data taken on dif…