Ocean Color Data at the Goddard DAAC
- Published
- March 1999.
- Physical Description
- 1 electronic document
Online Version
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- Restrictions on Access
- Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available.
Free-to-read Unrestricted online access - Summary
- The apparent color of the ocean is determined by the interactions of incident light with substances or particles present in the water. The most significant constituents are free-floating photosynthetic organisms (phytoplankton) and inorganic particulates. Phytoplankton contain chlorophyll, which absorbs light at blue and red wavelengths and transmits in the green. Particulate matter can reflect and absorb light, which reduces the clarity (light transmission) of the water. Substances dissolved in water can also affect its color. Observations of ocean color from space, utilizing sensors specially designed to detect the small amount of light radiating from the sea surface, provide a global picture of the patterns of biological productivity in the world's oceans. For that reason, ocean color remote sensing data is a vital resource for biological oceanography. Unlike the limited area of the ocean that can be investigated from a research ship, data from a satellite sensor covers a large region and provides a comprehensive view of the marine environment.
- Other Subject(s)
- Collection
- NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Collection.
- Note
- Document ID: 20000025026.
NASA/NP-1999-03-023-GSFC.
NAS 1.83:03-023-GSFC. - Terms of Use and Reproduction
- No Copyright.
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