Abstract:
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) will add a significant new capability for investigating
the 70% of the earth’s surface that is covered by
oceans, in addition to contributing to the continuation of a
decadal scale time series necessary for climate change assessment
in the oceans. Sensor capabilities of particular importance for
improving the accuracy of ocean products include high SNR and
high stability for narrower spectral bands, improved onboard
radiometric calibration and stability monitoring, and improved
science data product algorithms. Spectral bands for resolving
solar-stimulated chlorophyll fluorescence and a split window in
the 4-μm region for SST will result in important new global
ocean science products for biology and physics. MODIS will
return full global data at 1-km resolution. The complete suite
of Levels 2 and 3 ocean products is reviewed, and many areas
where MODIS data are expected to make significant, new contributions
to the enhanced understanding of the oceans’ role in
understanding climate change are discussed. In providing a highly
complementary and consistent set of observations of terrestrial,
atmospheric, and ocean observations, MODIS data will provide
important new information on the interactions between earth’s
major components.
