A compilation of global bio-optical in situ data for ocean-colour satellite applications – version four

Abstract. A global in situ dataset for validation of satellite products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) is presented. This version of the compilation, with data starting in 1996, extends to 2025, which is important for the validation of recent algorithms and satellite products. The dataset comprises in situ observations of the following variables: spectral remote-sensing reflectance (rrs), chlorophyll-a concentration ("chla"; HPLC and fluorometric), spectral inherent optical properties (IOPs: algal pigment absorption "aph", detritus plus gelbstoff absorption "adg", and particle backscattering "bbp"), spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient (kd) and total suspended matter (tsm). Data were obtained from multiple archives acquired via open internet services, or from individual projects, acquired directly from data providers. Compared to the previous version (Valente et al., 2022) this release incorporates updates from existing sources and introduces data from 13 additional sources. Notably, AERONET-OC coverage has been significantly expanded (39 sites compared to 11 in v2022) and MOBY Platinum data have been included from 2024. Methodologies were implemented for homogenisation, quality control and merging of all data. Minimal changes were made to the original data, other than conversion to a standard format, elimination of some points after quality control and averaging of observations that were close in time and space. The harmonisation procedures also include the application of a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) correction to "rrs". The result is a merged table available in text format. Overall, the dataset increased by ~115 %, reaching 319,183 rows, with each row representing a unique station in space and time (cf 148,432 rows in Valente et al., 2022). Records of chlaovera increased by ~31 % (82,543 to 107,922); "rrs" observations nearly doubled +94 % (68,641 → 133,325); IOPs showed substantial expansion, with aph increasing by ~150 % (4,265 to 10,655) and adg by 78 % (1,654 to 2,948). The most pronounced change was for bbp, which increased by ~10,258 % (792 to 82,033), while moderate increases were observed for kd (+30 %; 2,454 to 3,197) and "tsm" (+51 %; 1,546 to 2,334). Metadata of each in situ measurement (original source, cruise or experiment, principal investigator) are included in the final table. By making the metadata available, provenance is better documented, and it is also possible to analyse each set of data separately. The compiled data are available at (Salem et al., 2026).

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Published
2026-08-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-539
Primary Topic
Marine and coastal ecosystems
Type
preprint

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preprint

A compilation of global bio-optical in situ data for ocean-colour satellite applications – version four

Milton Kampel, Enrique Montes, Susanne Kratzer, A. Cianca et al.
Marine and coastal ecosystems
preprint

A compilation of global bio-optical in situ data for ocean-colour satellite applications – version four

Milton Kampel, Enrique Montes, Susanne Kratzer, A. Cianca, Arthur Gleason, Hiroto HIGA, F. Bignami, Frank Müller‐Karger, Elisabetta Canuti, Nathalie Guillocheau, Chuanmin Hu, Joji Ishizaka, Cristina Nunes, Raphael M. Kudela, Salem Ibrahim Salem, Şükrü Beşiktepe, Michela Sammartino, Alex J. Poulton, Francesca Margiotta, Simone Colella, Steven E. Lohrenz, Jean‐François Berthon, Emanuele Organelli, Mati Kahru, Richard Crout, Jesús Ledesma, Shubha Sathyendranath, Patricia A. Matrai, Chiara Melillo, Annalisa Di Cicco, Víctor Martínez-Vicente, Leonie O’Dowd, Ivan Farace, Hervé Claustre, Isabella Giardina, Astrid Bracher, David Antoine, Luca Massi, Florinda Artuso, Heeyoon Park, Kathryn Barker, Marco Bellacicco, Ralf Goericke, Salvatore Marullo, Carlos García-Soto, T Platt, Aimee Neeley, Lesley Clementson, Atsushi Matsuoka, Stuart W. Gibb, B. Greg Mitchell, Robert J. W. Brewin, Piotr Kowalczuk, Federico Falcini, Rüdiger Röttgers, Michel Répécaud, Vanda Brotas, Emmanuel Devred, Vittorio Brando, Francesca Polonelli, Paulo B. Oliveira, Raul Rodrigo Costa, Francisco P. Chávez, Yngve Borsheim, Rosario Lavezza, Antonia Lai, Bokyung Kim, Holger Klein, Scott Freeman, Andrei Chuprin, Maria-Manuel Angélico, Hubert Loisel, Mariella Ragni, Stanford B. Hooker, Manuel Ruiz-Villarreal, Thomas Jackson, David McKee, Ruth Airs, Simon Bélanger, Michael Ondrusek, Ana Moreno, Maurizio Ribera d'Alcalà, Federica Braga, Tamara Rodriguez-Ramos, Tiffany Moisan, Jaime Pitarch, Robert Frouin, Afonso Ferreira, Robert Arnone, Théo Renard, Ray Barlow, André Valente, Antonio Mannino, Richard Gould, Michael Novak, Michael Grant, William Balch, Vivian Lutz, Carlos B. Mendes, Huiwon Lee
preprint en

Abstract

Abstract. A global in situ dataset for validation of satellite products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) is presented. This version of the compilation, with data starting in 1996, extends to 2025, which is important for the validation of recent algorithms and satellite products. The dataset comprises in situ observations of the following variables: spectral remote-sensing reflectance (rrs), chlorophyll-a concentration ("chla"; HPLC and fluorometric), spectral inherent optical properties (IOPs: algal pigment absorption "aph", detritus plus gelbstoff absorption "adg", and particle backscattering "bbp"), spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient (kd) and total suspended matter (tsm). Data were obtained from multiple archives acquired via open internet services, or from individual projects, acquired directly from data providers. Compared to the previous version (Valente et al., 2022) this release incorporates updates from existing sources and introduces data from 13 additional sources. Notably, AERONET-OC coverage has been significantly expanded (39 sites compared to 11 in v2022) and MOBY Platinum data have been included from 2024. Methodologies were implemented for homogenisation, quality control and merging of all data. Minimal changes were made to the original data, other than conversion to a standard format, elimination of some points after quality control and averaging of observations that were close in time and space. The harmonisation procedures also include the application of a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) correction to "rrs". The result is a merged table available in text format. Overall, the dataset increased by ~115 %, reaching 319,183 rows, with each row representing a unique station in space and time (cf 148,432 rows in Valente et al., 2022). Records of chlaovera increased by ~31 % (82,543 to 107,922); "rrs" observations nearly doubled +94 % (68,641 → 133,325); IOPs showed substantial expansion, with aph increasing by ~150 % (4,265 to 10,655) and adg by 78 % (1,654 to 2,948). The most pronounced change was for bbp, which increased by ~10,258 % (792 to 82,033), while moderate increases were observed for kd (+30 %; 2,454 to 3,197) and "tsm" (+51 %; 1,546 to 2,334). Metadata of each in situ measurement (original source, cruise or experiment, principal investigator) are included in the final table. By making the metadata available, provenance is better documented, and it is also possible to analyse each set of data separately. The compiled data are available at (Salem et al., 2026).

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (US), Cheongju National University of Education (KR), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (BR), Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (ES), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (US), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (CA), Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KR), University of Lisbon (PT), University of Miami (US), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US), Ifremer (FR), University of California, Santa Barbara (US), University of Liège (BE), University of New Hampshire (US), Stockholm University (SE), University of the Basque Country (ES), The University of Western Australia (AU), Yokohama National University (JP), University of Bremen (DE), University of Strathclyde (GB), Université du Québec à Rimouski (CA), University of California, Santa Cruz (US), Dokuz Eylül University (TR), National Oceanography Centre (GB), Curtin University (AU), University of Exeter (GB), Bedford Institute of Oceanography (CA), Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (DE), Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (US), NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratories (US), Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (NO), Stennis Space Center (US), Université du littoral côte d'opale (FR), Plymouth Marine Laboratory (GB), Wallops Flight Facility (US), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (IT), Heriot-Watt University (GB), Sorbonne Université (FR), European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (DE), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IT), NOAA National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (US), Instituto Español de Oceanografía (ES), Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (PT), Instituto del Mar del Peru (PE), Istituto di Scienze Marine del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IT), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (FR), Joint Research Centre (IT), National Research Council (LK), Environmental Research Institute (GB), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (DE), Instytut Oceanologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk (PL), Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo Pesquero (AR), Hospital de Santo Espirito de Angra do Heroísmo (PT), National Agency for New Technologies Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (GB), Marine Institute (IE), National Research Council (IT), Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (FR), Bayworld Centre for Research and Education (ZA), Korea Testing Laboratory (KR), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche (FR), University of Florence (IT), University of the Highlands and Islands (GB), Nagoya University (JP), University of South Florida St. Petersburg (US), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (BR), Alexandria University (EG), University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College (US), Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Leibniz-Institut für Arbeitsforschung an der TU Dortmund, European Space Agency, European Commission, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Sorbonne Université, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, University of California, San Diego, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Environment Research Council, Institut national des sciences de l'Univers, Office of Polar Programs, National Marine Fisheries Service
Life below water
Marine and coastal ecosystems
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