Course content

I - Marine Optics

A) Lectures

Introduction: what is light and how it interacts with water?

1) Water Inherent Optical Properties (IOPs):

• Definition of the optically significant components of water ecosystems
• What are IOPs, absorption and scattering properties of seawater constituents: definition, factors driving IOPs natural variability:
• How to measure IOPs ?

2) Link between IOPs and « biogeochemical » parameters

• How IOPs can be used for deriving a variety of biogeochemical information at different spatial and temporal scales?

3) How light is propagating within the water column

• Definition of the radiometric quantities (radiances and irradiances)
• The radiative transfer equation
• The vertical attenuation coefficient and the above water reflectance, two Apparent Optical Properties (AOPs)
• Link between AOPs and IOPs

B) Practical sessions

1) Introduction to radiative transfer: use of a simple tool for playing with light and IOPs

2) Characterization of the natural variability of IOPs in marine waters, algorithm development and validation from realistic in situ measurements.

3) On-board demonstration of ocean color measurements

II - Ocean color remote sensing

A) Lectures

Introduction: What is ocean color and which information can we derive from it?

1) Definition of Ocean Color Radiometry (OCR)

• The principle of OCR observation
• Oceanic vs. optically complex waters

2) Ocean color sensors: past, present and future of ocean color radiometry satellites

• What is an ocean color satellite (observation geometry, acquisition, …)
• Ocean color satellite spatial, temporal, spectral, radiometric resolutions: definition and evolution from the pioneer sensors

3) Assessing the ocean color from space: the different steps for interpreting the color of the sea

• Extracting the marine signal from the satellite measurements: atmospheric correction of the top-of-atmosphere signal
• From the ocean color to biogeochemical parameters: bio-optical algorithm developments

4) Applications of ocean color remote sensing in open ocean and coastal waters

• OCR and phytoplankton: from the Chla to phytoplankton diversity (phytoplankton functional types, harmful algal blooms, biomass and diversity)
• Carbon dynamics
• Coastal morphodynamical processes monitoring
• Fisheries and emblematic species monitoring
• Ocean color remote sensing as a tracer of global/regional physical forcings
• Synergy between OCR and modeling, OCR and other satellite observations

B) Practical sessions

1) Where to get ocean color data?

2) How to visualize and map ocean color data? (SeaDAS NASA, SNAP ESA software)

3) Online visualization and basic processing of ocean color data time series (NASA Giovanni)

4) Tools for analyzing ocean color data archives

5) "Research project" based on the exploitation of ocean data (small groups)