Destriping algorithm for improved satellite-derived ocean color product imagery.

While modern multi-detector sensors offer a much improved image resolution and signal-to-noise ratio among other performance benefits, the multi-detector arrangement gives rise to striping in satellite imagery due to various sources, which cannot be perfectly corrected by sensor calibration. Recently, Bouali and Ignatov (2014) [J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 31, 150-163 (2014)] introduced a new approach to remove relatively small detector performance-related striping from thermal infrared bands for improved sea surface temperature data. We show that this methodology, with appropriately chosen parameters and adjustments, can also be applied to remove striping of a much larger variance from the solar reflective band data. Specifically, we modify and apply this new approach to remove striping from satellite-derived normalized water-leaving radiance spectra nLw(λ) obtained from solar reflective bands. It is important that the destriping approach not be applied to the top-of-atmosphere radiances. The results show a significant improvement in image quality for both nLw(λ) spectra and nLw(λ)-derived ocean biological and biogeochemical products such as chlorophyll-a concentration, and the water diffuse attenuation coefficient at the wavelength of 490 nm Kd(490).