Remote sensing algorithms for sea surface CO2 and CO2 flux

Develop and validate remote sensing based method for estimating surface water pCO2 and CO2 exchange between water and atmosphere using other satellite products (e.g. wind, temperature and chlorophyll). Being able to use satellites to generate global fields with relatively high temporal resolution of pCO2 in the surface water gives the possibility to generate global high-quality estimated of air-sea CO2 fluxes – a product being highly important for the global carbon cycle, atmospheric estimates of oceanic uptake of carbon dioxide as well as for estimates related to ocean acidification. Standard satellite ocean colour products usually fail in the Baltic Sea and many coastal waters. Improving/developing satellite algorithms and/or new methods for retrieving chlorophyll-a, dissolved organic matter and other derived parameters for the Baltic Sea region is relevant also for other oceanic basins with high optical complexity. Using satellite products from different sensors (such as from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and AVHRR, MERIS/OLCI) in combination with In-situ measurements we can explore both developing empirical algorithms and physics based methods to achieve higher accuracy of the chlorophyll and organic-matter products in the Baltic Sea conditions in order to map the surface water pCO2 concentration. The In-situ measurements in the project are existing instrumentation at the Östergarnsholm site in the Baltic Sea from additional instrumentation being deployed at the site within the project. Outcomes from the project are developed remote sensing algorithms as well as climatologies (for short periods) of sea surface CO2-concentration and air-sea CO2 flux for the Baltic Sea region.

Contact: Anna Rutgersson