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Transmission of the oceanic chlorophyll fluorescence to the top of the atmosphere

Transmission der ozeanischen Chlorophyll-Fluoreszenz zum Außenrand der Atmosphäre

Transmission de la fluorescence chlorophylienne océanique vers la partie supérieure de l'atmosphère

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Summary

Radiative transfer modelling for a coupled ocean-atmosphere system near 685 nm indicates a sufficiently high fluorescence signal of the chlorophyll a transmitted to the top of the atmosphere. However, only the shortwave half is seen at the top of the atmosphere, the longwave half is fully masked by atmospheric oxygen and water vapour absorption. The impact of atmospheric aerosol extinction on the signal transmission is almost negligible. The Hα line of the sun, atmospheric water vapour absorption, and chlorophyll absorption near 670 nm influence radiative transfer in the shortwave tail of the fluorescence line making the search for a baseline in order to eliminate the background radiation a difficult task.

Zusammenfassung

Die Strahlungsübertragungsgleichung wird für ein Atmosphäre-Ozean-System auf Grundlage der Matrix-Operator-Methode gelöst, um das Transmissionsverhalten der Atmosphäre in der Nähe der Chlorophyll-a-Fluoreszenz bei 685 nm im Hinblick auf die Fernerkundung des ozeanischen Phytoplanktons zu untersuchen. Während der kurzwellige Teil der Fluoreszenz vollständig zum Atmosphärenrand transmittiert wird, ist die langwellige Hälfte von der atmosphärischen Sauerstoff- und Wasserdampfabsorption völlig maskiert. Die Simulationsrechnungen zeigen, daß der Einfluß atmosphärischer Aerosole auf die Transmission des Signals nahezu vernachlässigbar ist. Dagegen stören eine Hα-Linie der Sonne, atmosphärische Wasserdampfabsorption und die Chlorophyllabsorption nahe 670 nm die Strahlungsübertragung des langwelligen Teils derart stark, daß die Suche nach einer Basislinie zur Eliminierung der Hintergrundstrahlung schwierig wird.

Résumé

L'équation de transmission du rayonnement pour un système combiné océanatmosphère est résolue à l'aide de la méthode opérateur-matrice en vue de définir les caractéristiques de transmission de la fluorescence chlorophylienne-a à 685 nm en tenant compte de la reconnaissance à distance du phytoplancton océanique. Le spectre onde courte de la fluorescence est transmis entièrement à la partie supérieure de l'atmosphère alors que le spectre onde longue est entièrement masqué par l'absorption due à la vapeur d'eau et à l'oxygène dans l'atmosphère. Les calculs de simulation montrent que l'influence des aérosols sur la transmission du signal est quasiment négligeable. Par contre, la raie Hα du soleil, l'absorption par la vapeur d'eau atmosphérique et de la chlorophylle à environ 670 nm affectent la transmission du rayonnement si fortement qu'il est malaisé de rechercher une ligne de base en vue de supprimer le rayonnement ambiant.

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Author notes

  1. Peter Schlüssel &  Hartmut Graßl

    Present address: Institut für Meereskunde an der Universität Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 2300, Kiel 1

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    1. Peter Schlüssel
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    2. Hartmut Graßl
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    Schlüssel, P., Graßl, H. Transmission of the oceanic chlorophyll fluorescence to the top of the atmosphere. Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift 37, 57–69 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02226535

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