United States Naval Research Laboratory
Bio-Optical/Physical Processes and Remote Sensing Section
Evolution of the Operational Land Imager (OLI) Capabilities for Ocean Color Retrievals
Objective:
The Naval Research Laboratory (Code 7331) is evaluating the capabilities of the Operational Land Imager (OLI), flying on LANDSAT- 8 for retrieving accurate remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) over water. OLI is the first Landsat sensor to carry a blue band (443 nm), which makes it a potential tool for ocean color sensing. However, because this sensor has wider bands than a sensor specifically designed for retrieving ocean color parameters, it is indispensable to evaluate the quality of its remote sensing reflectance before any retrievals of Navy tactical products (water clarity, swimmers visibility water depth) can be attempted. This effort will acquire and process the OLI data, add a atmospheric correction to the sensor radiance to obtain remote sensing reflectance, and validate its findings with optical data from AERONETt sites and (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) data in the USA and abroad.
