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COASTLOOC: Developement of algorithms for the use of Ocean Colour data in Coastal Waters to detect optically active material and assess biological processes

Type of Entry: Project
Website: http://www.acri.fr/coastlooc/index_old.html
Duration: 09/1996 - 09/1999
Description:

THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF COASTLOOC PROGRAM

The general objective is to develop the necessary tools for exploiting the new potential of the ocean colour technique brought by the launching of improved sensors, over European coasts.

The specific objectives are:

  • producing a large data set of the inherent optical properties of the main classes of optically active substances in European coastal waters. Relatively to already existing data sets, the one developed in this study will provide the following improvements such as:
  • homogeneous data collection for the whole covered area in terms of the techniques used, operators performing measurements and sampling strategy
  • uses the state-of-the-art instruments and techniques the most extensive sampling grid;
  • measurements of inherent optical properties individually for the 3 main classes of seawater optically active substances.
  • determining quantitatively the effect of red tides on ocean colour.

The improvements brought by this study are the following:

  • quantitative determination of liposoluble and hydrosoluble phytoplankton pigments using newly developed HPLC protocols
  • simultaneous measurements of all seawater inherent optical properties
  • use of an in situ profiler that emulates measurements by ocean colour sensors; assessment of the possibility to discriminate the major phytoplankton groups from optical signals, in the frame of an exhaustive chemical and optical analysis. The target is algorithms allowing to discriminate toxic from non-toxic algal blooms.
  • producing new and optimised algorithms using the newly acquired optical data set, which will allow to produce maps of the main optically active seawater components using the future ocean colour sensors. No proven algorithms presently exist for all European coastal waters. This study will provide a complete set of algorithms allowing to use ocean colour data over all European coasts.
  • providing operational ocean colour algorithms for specific ocean colour sensors. No standard currently exists among the different sensors expected to be launched in the next few years, concerning the way to process ocean colour data over coastal waters. This study will provide such a standard adapted to each of the sensors (SeaWIFS, OCTS, MERIS, MODIS). The target is a set of coastal water algorithms adapted to each of these sensors.
  • implemention of ocean colour analysis into a video server frame, allowing a wide field of users to exploit this information for economically and socially important applications. The target is a video server accessible to all Internet users, that provides day-to-day information on the state of the sea in terms of what can be derived from ocean colour data and related complementary techniques.

The main target is a data set covering the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean (French and English coasts), the North Sea, The Baltic Sea (including Danish waters), and the Adriatic Sea, and including ca. 150 sampling points per site (total 750 sampling points).

Keywords: Tools and techniques for beach management
Documents:
COASTLOOC Partners
the contracting partners of the COASTLOOC project
 
The main objective of COASTLOOC project
 
Contact: J.Fischer
Free University of Berlin, Institut fŸr Weltraum-wissenschaften / English
Fabeckstrasse 69
D-14195 Berlin
GERMANY
Partner: JRC (http://me-www.jrc.it)
FUB (www.fu-berlin.de)
GKSS (www.gkss.de)
PML (www.pml.ac.uk/pml)
NIOZ (www.nioz.nl)
ACRI (www.acri.fr)
LPCM (www.obs-vlfr.fr)
U.OLDENBURG (www.fh-oldenburg.de)
U.TRONDHEIM (http://www.ntnu.no/)
Financed by: European Commission