Validation of chlorophyll-α concentration maps from Aqua MODIS over the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia): comparison between MedOC3 and OC3M bio-optical algorithms

Abstract

Few studies have focused on the use of ocean colour remote sensors in the Gulf of Gabes (southeastern Tunisia). This work is the first study to evaluate the ocean colour chlorophyll-a product in this area. Chlorophyll-a concentrations were measured during oceanographic cruises performed off the Gulf of Gabes. These measurements were used to validate satellite data acquired from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. First, two atmospheric correction procedures (standard and shortwave infrared) were tested to derive the remote-sensing reflectance, and then a comparison between two bio-optical (OC3M and MedOC3) algorithms were realized using the in situ measurements. Both atmospheric correction procedures gave similar results when applied to our study area indicating that most pixels were non-turbid. The comparison between bio-optical algorithms shows that using the regional bio-optical algorithm MedOC3 improves chlorophyll-a estimation in the Gulf of Gabes for the low values of this parameter.