This paper describes a work plan for the evaluation of the capabilities and performance of Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data for monitoring snow covered land surfaces, specifically in the boreal forest belt. The performance of MERIS over snow in the northern latitudes is mainly estimated by comparison of time series derived from MERIS surface reflectance against values derived...

Satellite imagery has been used to monitor and assess Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), specifically, cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Erie (the USA Canada) for over twelve years. In recent years, applied the other Great Lakes as well U.S. lakes. The key algorithm this monitoring system is index (CI), a measure of chlorophyll found blooms. CI “spectral shape” (or curvature) algorithm, which form second...

Examples on results obtained in the mapping of water quality related parameters of the Baltic Sea and Finnish lakes using MERIS and other satellite data sources are presented. The results demonstrate that the MERIS instrument is well applicable to be used for operational water quality monitoring in the study region.

Because of a long-term synergy with other observations from ENVISAT, there is advan-tage to derive aerosol optical thickness (AOT) using the MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument. Although limited in spectral coverage, it is possible to derive accurate AOT from MERIS. Here, we introduce a new AOT retrieval algorithm for MERIS over land surfaces, henceforth called eXtensible ...

The MERIS and AATSR instruments onboard ENVISAT provide similar resolution and swath but complementary information, encompassing different spectral domains and viewing geometries. We present research on synergistic use of MERIS and AATSR imagery, with objectives (i) to define and evaluate algorithms for improved cloud screening, global aerosol retrieval and land atmospheric correction, (ii) to ...

ENVISAT Microwave Radiometer (MWR) and Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) water vapour products are received, monitored and validated at ECMWF. The corresponding model total column water vapour (TCWV) product is used for the verification. The MWR products are generally of good quality since late November 2003. However, there are several apparently wrong measurements due to the sea i...

Validation activities for the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) primary radiometric products were carried out using data collected at the Acqua Alta Oceanographic Tower (AAOT) in the northern Adriatic Sea. The intercomparison between the normalized water leaving radiances LWN computed from atmospherically corrected MERIS data and above water radiometric measurements taken with the ...

This paper describes the validation of MERIS water products for the Southern North Sea for the period July 2002 to September 2008. During this period, 39 matchups were obtained for the parameters water-leaving reflectance spectra, chlorophyll a concentration and total suspended matter concentration, of which 12 are in optimal conditions. Previous validation results reported for 2002-5 are updat...

A characteristic spectral emission is observed in vegetation chlorophyll under excitation by solar radiation. This emission, known as solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, occurs in the red and near infra-red spectral regions. In this paper a new methodology for the estimation of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence from spaceborne and airborne sensors is presented. The fluorescence signal ...