Project Objectives

The objective of the OCEAN (Ocean Color EarthCARE ANalysis) project is to derive in-water EarthCARE products from the analysis of the ocean sub-surface backscattered components of the 355 nm signal acquired by the ATLID (ATmospheric LIDar). The project will focus on the potential retrieval of the ocean optical properties at 355 nm.

• OCEAN activities are organized in four different but interacting phases:
• Consolidation of the scientific requirements;
• Development and validation of the EarthCARE OCEAN prototype product;
• Assessment of the impact of the EarthCARE OCEAN product;
• Scientific roadmap.

Furthermore, data collection activity will feed phase 1, 2 and 3 encompassing both EarthCARE dataset and the ancillary reference/validation datasets.

The proposed approach is to transfer the consolidated lidar know-how from atmospheric to ocean color remote sensing applications by relying on EarthCARE data analysis and radiative transfer modeling.

Products, tools and/or applications expected by the study

• Algorithms for the retrieval of optical properties at 355 nm:
  • Lidar parameters (lidar-attenuation coefficient and in-water particle backscattering)
  • Ocean colour parameters (downwelling irradiance attenuation and hemispheric particulate backscatter)
  • Biogeochemical parameter (Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter - CDOM)
• Forward model to simulate sea surface and sub-surface ATLID lidar returns.
• Radiative transfer simulations of lidar propagation in seawater
• EarthCARE ocean subsurface lidar observation analysis
• Benchmark and validation of OCEAN project results with ocean colour dataset from floats, cruises and other satellite measurements
• Scientific roadmap for follow-up studies