Spatial Distribution Patterns of Chlorophyll-a and Suspended Matter in the Yangtze Estuary and the Hangzhou Bay as Observed with the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO)

Data from the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) were used to identify gradients and patchiness due to chl-a and suspended matter in the Yangtze Estuary and the Hangzhou Bay in China. HICO images were classified using the spectral analysis to identify frontal systems and areas of plankton patchiness in these water bodies. The results obtained from the analysis were compared with results obtained from previous studies conducted in these water bodies. The chl-a concentrations estimated from atmospherically corrected HICO images were comparable to chl-a concentrations measured in situ previously in this region. The spatial patterns of chl-a distribution derived from the HICO data matched well with the spatial patterns derived from a MODIS image acquired on the same day.