Satellite derived photosynthetic pigment surveys: A review of marine phytoplankton biomass and productivity

Abstract

The Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) flying on board the Nimbus-7 satellite provided oceanic photosynthetic pigment data during 1978-86. The CZCS data processing completed in 1990 furnished data on the global distribution of total pigment concentration and the vertical attenuation coefficient of diffuse light, even though coverage was sparse. Beginning with the launch of SeaWiFS at the end of 1995, we may look forward to a long-term ocean color time series. New primary productivity is the critical component limiting the transport of C02 by marine biota from the surface to deeper waters. The new data open possibilities for the study of carbon fluxes at regional and global scales, on time scales from days to years. Space/time variability of photosynthetic pigments, as obtained from CZCS images, has also been used as a surface tracer to describe physical phenomena where the surface temperature is homogeneous.