Uncertainty Estimate of Satellite-Derived Normalized Water-Leaving Radiance

Abstract

The quantification of uncertainties affecting satellite ocean color products is a fundamental step to ensure their compliance with mission and science requirements. This work investigated a methodology relying on the use of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">in situ</i> radiometric data with known uncertainties to determine those affecting matching satellite data. By exploiting <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">in situ</i> radiometric data from the Ocean Color component of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-OC), an advanced method was applied to radiometric data products from the Ocean and Land Color Instruments onboard the Sentinel-3A satellite (OLCI-A) and the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite onboard the Suomi National-Polar Orbiting Partnership satellite (VIIRS-S). The results from the analysis support the relevance of the method proposed.