Validation of atmospheric correction over the oceans

TLDR

Validation of atmospheric correction requires quantifying uncertainty in retrieving water‑leaving radiance, including errors from auxiliary data such as wind speed, pressure, and ozone, and must span all atmospheric types, though funding constraints prioritize the largest error sources. The study aims to develop a validation strategy for atmospheric correction over oceans, focusing on EOS/MODIS and covering the full range of expected atmospheric conditions. The authors outline the strategy and detail the instrumentation and methods for implementing the plan, specifically targeting EOS/MODIS data acquisition and processing.

Abstract

By validation of atmospheric correction, we mean quantification of the uncertainty expected to be associated with the retrieval of the water‐leaving radiance from the measurement of the total radiance exiting the ocean‐atmosphere system. This uncertainty includes that associated with the measurement or estimation of auxiliary data required for the retrieval process, for example, surface wind speed, surface atmospheric pressure, and total ozone concentration. For a definitive validation this quantification should be carried out over the full range of atmospheric types expected to be encountered. However, funding constraints require that the individual validation campaigns must be planned to address the individual components of the atmospheric correction algorithm believed to represent the greatest potential sources of error. In this paper we develop a strategy for validation of atmospheric correction over the oceans that is focused on EOS/MODIS. We also provide a description of the instrumentation and methods to be used in the implementation of the plan.