Abstract:
Ocean color remote sensing has entered a new era with the successful launch of the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) on board Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites. The representativeness and accuracy of the OLCI geophysical products are poorly quantified in the Black Sea which is featured by high bio-optical complexity. This paper addresses the evaluation of the OLCI/3A sensor’s performance for retrieving ocean color products of the western Black Sea waters, by carrying out qualitative and quantitative match-up analysis between in situ and OLCI data. Results indicate a systematic underestimate of the water-leaving radiances (more pronounced at 412 and 665 nm) in contrary to the OLCI standard Chlorophyll (CHL) products which significantly overestimate the in situ records. These findings confirm the need of consistent reference in situ bio-optical data with improved spatial and temporal coverage for further satellite ocean color missions calibration and validation activities in the Black Sea.