Beschreibung: Satellite remote sensing of chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a) in the Arctic Ocean is spatially and temporally limited and needs to be supplemented and validated with substantial volumes of in situ observations. Here, we evaluated the capability of obtaining highly resolved in situ surface Chl-a using underway spectrophotometry operated during two summer cruises in 2015 and 2016 in the Fram Strait. Results showed that Chl-a measured using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was well related (R2 = 0.90) to the collocated particulate absorption line height at 676 nm obtained from the underway spectrophotometry system. This enabled continuous surface Chl-a estimation along the cruise tracks. When used to validate Chl-a operational products as well as to assess the Chl-a algorithms of the aqua moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS-A) and Sentinel-3 Ocean Land Color Imager (OLCI) Level 2 Chl-a operational products, and from OLCI Level 2 products processed with Polymer atmospheric correction algorithm (version 4.1), the underway spectrophotometry based Chl-a data sets proved to be a much more sufficient data source by generating over one order of magnitude more match-ups than those obtained from discrete water samples. Overall, the band ratio (OCI, OC4) Chl-a operational products from MODIS-A and OLCI as well as OLCI C2RCC products showed acceptable results. The OLCI Polymer standard output provided the most reliable Chl-a estimates, and nearly as good results were obtained from the OCI algorithm with Polymer atmospheric correction method. This work confirms the great advantage of the underway spectrophotometry in enlarging in situ Chl-a data sets for the Fram Strait and improving satellite Chl-a validation and Chl-a algorithm assessment over discrete water sample analysis in the laboratory.

Beschreibung: The extent of light absorption in the near-infrared spectral region (NIR; 700­900 nm) of natural suspended particles was investigated by determining the absorption and mass-specific absorption coefficients of samples from different environments: river, coastal waters, tropical lagoon, and oceanic waters. Large amounts of sample were collected onto glass-fiber filters and measured inside the integrating sphere of a spectrophotometer. The absorption coefficient of particle suspension was also determined for visible wavelengths with a point-source integrating cavity absorption meter. Measurable nonzero particulate absorption in the NIR was determined in all samples, even in algal cultures. It was highest in the river samples (e.g., 1.7 m21 at 850 nm), reaching values similar to the NIR absorption of pure water--a strong NIR absorber. Lowest values were in oligotrophic waters and in algal cultures. Ratios of absorption at 750 nm to absorption at 442 and 672 nm varied between 2% to 30% and 3% to 80%, respectively. Mass-specific absorption in the NIR at 850 nm was also highest in the river (0.012 m2 g21) and lowest in oligotrophic waters (0.002­0.003 m2 g21). The observed NIR absorption can partly be explained by absorption of minerogenic particles, whereas the contribution of organic detritus to the NIR absorption is still mostly unknown.