Assessment of SeaWiFS atmospheric and marine products for the northern Adriatic Sea

An evaluation of the accuracy of atmospheric and marine satellite-derived products is presented and discussed for the northern Adriatic Sea coastal region using match-ups of in situ and Sea-Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) data for the period September 1997-September 2001. The study, making use of a simple atmospheric correction scheme including a near-infrared (NIR) turbid-water correction, has shown mean relative percentage differences between in situ and satellite-derived aerosol optical thickness lower than 23% in the spectral range between 443 and 865 nm. By applying regional empirical bio-optical algorithms for chlorophyll a concentration (Chla), total suspended matter concentration (TSM), and diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (K_d(490)), match-ups analysis has shown mean relative percentage differences of 40% for Chla, 28% for TSM, and 30% for K_d(490). The analysis is supported by comparison of in situ and satellite-derived normalized water leaving radiances to highlight the importance of the NIR turbid-water correction and to discuss the intrinsic uncertainties due to the use of empirical algorithms.