Optical remote sensing applications in the Baltic Sea

Abstract

The main applications of ocean colour satellite data in the Baltic Sea (Case 2 water) are coastal discharge and phytoplankton blooms. These processes generate the variations of optically active water constituents. The phytoplankton development is characterised by a spring bloom of diatoms and dinoflagellates, and a summer bloom of nitrogen-fixating cyanobacteria. The blooms depend strongly on the meteorological conditions. Distribution of river discharge was intensely investigated in the Pomeranian Bight, the Oder River discharge area. Satellite data of different spectral and spatial resolution has been used. Information on oceanographic conditions was derived from Sea Surface Temperature. The implementation of satel lite data improved the Baltic Sea research due to the synoptic character enables to transfer detailed ship-borne measurements to larger spatial and temporal scales. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.