COLORS: Coastal region long-term measurements for colour remote sensing development and validation

Main information about the COLORS project

COLORS: project, which is also known as "Coastal region long-term measurements for colour remote sensing development and validation" is funded by the E.C. under MAS3-CT97-0087. It is the first attempt to create a major long-term European network program for colour coastal/shelf water remote sensing development and validation. The results of COLORS will form a fundamental and essential step towards operational applications of satellite and aircraft colour data in European coastal waters.

Over next three year period COLORS will cover the following activities:

• extensive long-term measurements over three selected sites, located in different coastal/shelf areas (Adriatic Sea, English Channel, North Sea) representative of the main European water types. All test sites will be equipped with identical instrument packages and special attention will be paid to calibration or intercalibration to ensure high quality measurements and complete compatibility of the data sets from the different sites.
  
• analysis, interpretation and processing of the acquired data aimed at deriving bio-geo-physical marine and atmospheric parameters. These will be used to develop robust marine and atmospheric algorithms accounting for site and season specific influences.
  
• application of the ensuring algorithms and techniques on available satellite and aircraft data. The resulting data products will be validated in order to assess the full potential of operational optical remote sensing in European coastal waters.