An algorithm to determine the spectral total absorption coefficient of water is presented. The algorithm is based on the Gershun’s equation of α = μK_E. The spectral underwater average cosine, μ and vertical attenuation coefficient of net irradiance, K_E were obtained from radiative transfer simulations using Hydrolight with large in-situ measured data from the coastal and estuarine waters of Goa. A refined algorithm of spectral μ as in Ref. [1] is used to determine the spectral underwater average cosine. The spectral K_E was related to the diffuse attenuation coefficient, K_d. The algorithms to derive absorption were validated using an independent NOMAD optical data at wavelengths 412, 440, 488, 510, 532, 555, 650 and 676 nm. The performance of the algorithm was evident from the high R², low bias and low RMSE. The values of R² at wavelengths 412, 440, 488, 510, 532, 555, 650 and 676 nm were 0.95, 0.95, 0.93, 0.93, 0.88, 0.82, 0.62, and 0.65 respectively. The corresponding bias were -0.0064, 0.0076, 0.0038, 0.0044, 0.0122, 0.0124, 0.0362, and 0.0093 respectively. The algorithms for μ and K_E provide the spectral weighted average within Z₉₀ and have the advantage of deriving the absorption coefficients from the satellite data.

Date Published: 7 May 2016
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9878, Remote Sensing of the Oceans and Inland Waters: Techniques, Applications, and Challenges, 98780E (7 May 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2235777

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9878:
Remote Sensing of the Oceans and Inland Waters: Techniques, Applications, and Challenges
Robert J. Frouin; Satheesh C. Shenoi; K. H. Rao, Editor(s)