A compilation of global bio-optical in situ data for ocean-colour satellite applications – version four
Abstract
Abstract. A global in situ dataset for validation of satellite products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) is presented. This version of the compilation, with data starting in 1996, extends to 2025, which is important for the validation of recent algorithms and satellite products. The dataset comprises in situ observations of the following variables: spectral remote-sensing reflectance (rrs), chlorophyll-a concentration ("chla"; HPLC and fluorometric), spectral inherent optical properties (IOPs: algal pigment absorption "aph", detritus plus gelbstoff absorption "adg", and particle backscattering "bbp"), spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient (kd) and total suspended matter (tsm). Data were obtained from multiple archives acquired via open internet services, or from individual projects, acquired directly from data providers. Compared to the previous version (Valente et al., 2022) this release incorporates updates from existing sources and introduces data from 13 additional sources. Notably, AERONET-OC coverage has been significantly expanded (39 sites compared to 11 in v2022) and MOBY Platinum data have been included from 2024. Methodologies were implemented for homogenisation, quality control and merging of all data. Minimal changes were made to the original data, other than conversion to a standard format, elimination of some points after quality control and averaging of observations that were close in time and space. The harmonisation procedures also include the application of a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) correction to "rrs". The result is a merged table available in text format. Overall, the dataset increased by ~115 %, reaching 319,183 rows, with each row representing a unique station in space and time (cf 148,432 rows in Valente et al., 2022). Records of chlaovera increased by ~31 % (82,543 to 107,922); "rrs" observations nearly doubled +94 % (68,641 → 133,325); IOPs showed substantial expansion, with aph increasing by ~150 % (4,265 to 10,655) and adg by 78 % (1,654 to 2,948). The most pronounced change was for bbp, which increased by ~10,258 % (792 to 82,033), while moderate increases were observed for kd (+30 %; 2,454 to 3,197) and "tsm" (+51 %; 1,546 to 2,334). Metadata of each in situ measurement (original source, cruise or experiment, principal investigator) are included in the final table. By making the metadata available, provenance is better documented, and it is also possible to analyse each set of data separately. The compiled data are available at (Salem et al., 2026).
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Authors: Salem Ibrahim Salem, André Valente, Shubha Sathyendranath, Andrei Chuprin, Théo Renard, Jaime Pitarch, Ruth Airs, Ana Moreno, Maria-Manuel Angélico, David Antoine, Robert Arnone, Florinda Artuso, Paulo B. Oliveira, William Balch, Kathryn Barker, Ray Barlow, Simon Bélanger, Marco Bellacicco, Jean‐François Berthon, Şükrü Beşiktepe, F. Bignami, Yngve Borsheim, Astrid Bracher, Federica Braga, Vittorio Brando, Robert J. W. Brewin, Vanda Brotas, Elisabetta Canuti, Francisco P. Chávez, A. Cianca, Hervé Claustre, Lesley Clementson, Simone Colella, Raul Rodrigo Costa, Cristina Nunes, Richard Crout, Emmanuel Devred, Annalisa Di Cicco, Federico Falcini, Ivan Farace, Afonso Ferreira, Scott Freeman, Robert Frouin, Carlos García-Soto, Isabella Giardina, Stuart W. Gibb, Arthur Gleason, Ralf Goericke, Richard Gould, Michael Grant, Nathalie Guillocheau, Hiroto HIGA, Stanford B. Hooker, Chuanmin Hu, Joji Ishizaka, Thomas Jackson, Mati Kahru, Milton Kampel, Bokyung Kim, Holger Klein, Piotr Kowalczuk, Susanne Kratzer, Raphael M. Kudela, Antonia Lai, Rosario Lavezza, Jesús Ledesma, Huiwon Lee, Steven E. Lohrenz, Hubert Loisel, Vivian Lutz, Antonio Mannino, Francesca Margiotta, Víctor Martínez-Vicente, Salvatore Marullo, Luca Massi, Patricia A. Matrai, Atsushi Matsuoka, David McKee, Chiara Melillo, Carlos B. Mendes, B. Greg Mitchell, Tiffany Moisan, Enrique Montes, Frank Müller‐Karger, Aimee Neeley, Michael Novak, Leonie O’Dowd, Michael Ondrusek, Emanuele Organelli, Heeyoon Park, T Platt, Francesca Polonelli, Alex J. Poulton, Mariella Ragni, Michel Répécaud, Maurizio Ribera d'Alcalà, Tamara Rodriguez-Ramos, Rüdiger Röttgers, Manuel Ruiz-Villarreal, Michela Sammartino
Institutions: University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Exeter, University of the Basque Country, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, University of Miami, Curtin University, Goddard Space Flight Center, Sorbonne Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Bremen, The University of Western Australia, Polish Academy of Sciences, University of Lisbon, University of Florence, Nagoya University, University of Liège, National Research Council, University of California, Santa Cruz, Heriot-Watt University, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, National Research Council, Alexandria University, National Agency for New Technologies Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Joint Research Centre, Yokohama National University, Stockholm University, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Bayworld Centre for Research and Education, Dokuz Eylül University, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, University of New Hampshire, University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Marine Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Istituto di Scienze Marine del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Institute for Coastal Marine Environment, University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of the Highlands and Islands, Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute, National Oceanography Centre, Ifremer, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Hospital de Santo Espirito de Angra do Heroísmo, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Stennis Space Center, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Environmental Research Institute, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, Cheongju National University of Education, Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany, Instytut Oceanologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk, Instituto del Mar del Peru, Korea Testing Laboratory, Université du littoral côte d'opale, Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo Pesquero, Wallops Flight Facility, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratories, NOAA National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service