Water Optics and Water Colour Remote Sensing

The editorial paper aims to highlight the main topics investigated in the Special Issue (SI) “Water Optics and Water Colour Remote Sensing”. The outcomes of the 21 papers published in the SI are presented, along with a bibliometric analysis in the same field, namely, water optics and water colour remote sensing. This editorial summarises how the research articles of the SI approach the study of bio-optical properties of aquatic systems, the development of remote sensing algorithms, and the application of time-series satellite data for assessing long-term and temporal-spatial dynamics in inland, coastal, and oceanic waters. The SI shows the progress with a focus on: (1) bio-optical properties (three papers); (2) atmospheric correction and data uncertainties (five papers); (3) remote sensing estimation of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) (eight papers); (4) remote sensing estimation of suspended matter and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) (four papers); and (5) water quality and water ecology remote sensing (four papers). Overall, the SI presents a variety of applications at the global scale (with case studies in Europe, Asia, South and North America, and the Antarctic), achieved with different remote sensing instruments, such as hyperspectral field and airborne sensors, ocean colour radiometry, geostationary platforms, and the multispectral Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellites. The bibliometric analysis, carried out to include research articles published from 1900 to 2016, indicates that “chlorophyll-a”, “ocean colour”, “phytoplankton”, “SeaWiFS” (Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor), and “chromophoric dissolved organic matter” were the five most frequently used keywords in the field. The SI contents, along with the bibliometric analysis, clearly suggest that remote sensing of Chl-a is one of the topmost investigated subjects in the field.