High resolution spectral remote sensing of phytoplankton in the coastal zone

Matthews, Alison Mary (1994) High resolution spectral remote sensing of phytoplankton in the coastal zone. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

Knowledge of phytoplankton concentration and health provides a vital indication of water quality on the coastal zone. Modern airborne remote sensing instruments offer the required spectral, spatial and temporal resolution for monitoring phytoplankton in this region. Existing methods for determining chlorophyll-a concentration from remotely sensed data rely on the relationship between discrete wavebands, and do not fully utilise the information available. It is imperative to develop algorithms that make use of the full spectral information, in order to increase the understanding of the oceanography of the coastal zone.

This thesis describes the development of a series of laboratory experiments to measure reflectance spectra in simulated marine conditions. Particular attention is paid to the position of the solar stimulated chlorophyll-a fluorescence peak, near to 700 nm. Relationships are derived to relate the spectral position of this feature to chlorophyll-a concentration, and the influence of suspended sediments and phytoplankton maturity. The relationships developed in the laboratory are shown to be applicable to the interpretation of in-situ and aircraft spectra in coastal waters.

In addition, techniques are developed that allow the variation in the shape of the reflectance spectra alone to be used to define boundaries between water masses of differing phytoplankton and sediment load. The wider significance of these techniques in the interpretation of spectral data is discussed.

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