Optical Oceanographic Observation

Dear Colleagues,

With the advent of new space platforms and advanced sensor technology in the optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum, multi-spectral optical remote sensing data has significantly contributed to the improvement of our understanding of oceanic phenomena and processes over the past decades. Optical oceanic remote sensing has the potential to provide a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of physical and biological processes in the surface layer of the ocean. Recent advances in optical oceanic remote sensing have been accomplished by significant technological improvements in terms of the quality and quantity of observation data, observation frequency capability, and spatial and spectral resolutions. These advances have made it possible to procure vast amounts of information on the spatiotemporal variability of oceanic features at diverse spatial and temporal scales. Geostationary satellite observations with multiple images per day have facilitated rapid progress in studying the short-term dynamic variability of coastal waters. Such optical observations have been extensively utilized to investigate and understand the spatiotemporal variability of the chlorophyll-a concentration of phytoplankton, which can be used as an indicator of the low-level marine ecosystem, as well as to study harmful algae such as green algae, brown algae, and algae that causes red tides. Other oceanic features associated with suspended sediment, water quality, coastal bathymetry, vessel-related matters, oil and chemical spills, sea ice, and sea fog have also been extensively monitored. This Special Issue is devoted to the most recent advances in the studies of optical remote sensing technology and its applications in ocean studies, with an emphasis on the following topics:

• Validation of ocean color products in the global ocean and local seas
• Algorithms of ocean color variables using near-polar orbit and geostationary satellites
• Spatial and temporal variability of oceanic phenomena from optical signals
• Biological blooms of marine algae (phytoplankton, green algae, brown algae, red tide)
• Understanding of physical and biological processes
• Surface current derivation using satellite optical images
• Change in oceanic biological features to wind forcing
• Monitoring of suspended sediment or suspended particulate matters at the coastal region
• Detection and monitoring of red tide bloom
• Air-sea interaction and upper ocean variability
• Assessment and monitoring of water quality
• Ship detection using optical and hyperspectral methods
• Delineation of shoreline and estimation of coastal bathymetry
• Sea ice monitoring using optical images
• Applications of optical images related to aquaculture and fisheries
• Multi-spectral sea fog monitoring
• Methods and oceanic applications of hyperspectral remote sensing
• Applications of deep-learning methods to remotely-sensed optical images

Prof. Kyung-Ae Park
Dr. Young-Je Park
Prof. Ming-An Lee
Dr. Xiaofeng Li
Guest Editors

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