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Abstract
The variability of Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) distribution derived from MODIS (on Aqua and Terra platforms) and MERIS sensors have been compared with SeaWiFS data in the Arabian Sea. MODIS Aqua has overestimated the SeaWiFS Chl-a within 25–32% in the coastal turbid (eutrophic) waters and underestimated in open ocean waters with error within 20%. However, there is no significant bias (−0.1 on log-scale) observed as the slope is well within 0.97-1.1 (log transformed). MODIS-Terra has underestimated the Chl-a concentration in open ocean waters by about 29–31%, which is higher than MODIS-Aqua. MODIS-Terra is observed to be more accurate than MODIS-Aqua in the coastal waters. MERIS is overestimating the SeaWiFS Chl-a with log RMS error of ∼0.15 and log bias of ∼0.13–0.2. The differences in the Chl-a estimates between each sensor are possibly due to differences in the sensor design, bio-optical algorithms and also due to the time differences between the satellites over passes. We have examined that the MERIS is performing similar to SeaWiFS and the MODIS-Aqua (Terra) data are reliable in open ocean (coastal) waters. However, Chl-a retrieval algorithms need to be improved especially for coastal turbid waters to continue with SeaWiFS data for long-term studies.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully express their sincere gratitude to Shri A. S. Kiran Kumar, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC) for encouragement and suggestions to carry out this study. The valuable suggestions received from Dr. J.S. Parihar, Deputy Director, EPSA are gratefully acknowledged. Authors are also thankful to Dr. Ajai, Group Director, MPSG for his support and suggestions.