Evaluation of SeaWiFS chlorophyll‐a in the Black and Mediterranean Seas

The performance of NASA's OC2 and OC4 algorithms to estimate chlorophyll‐a concentrations from SeaWiFS radiometric measurements on the global scale was tested in two contrasted bio‐optical environments, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The in situ bio‐optical measurements were made during October 1999 at 25 stations. Comparisons of the in situ measurements with the concurrent SeaWiFS retrievals indicate that the OC2 and OC4 algorithms are not working satisfactorily in both seas. Case 2 waters dominate the Black Sea and the failure of the algorithms is expected. On the other hand, failure of the algorithms in the case 1 waters of the Mediterranean Sea may be due to their specific optical properties. Modifying the OC4 algorithm to include SeaWiFS information at 412 nm yields a better performance in the Mediterranean Sea without degrading performance in the Black Sea. Combining a local algorithm adapted to oligotrophic waters of the Mediterranean Sea and OC4 provides the best results overall.