Marine Science Faculty Publications
Global Distribution of Case-1 Waters: An Analysis from SeaWiFS Measurements
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2006
Keywords
Case-1, Case-2, Ocean color, Remote sensing, Bio-optical model
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2005.11.008
Abstract
“Case-1” has been a term frequently used to characterize water type since the seventies. However, the distribution of Case-1 waters in global scale has been vague, though open ocean waters are often referred to as Case-1 in the literature. In this study, based on recent bio-optical models for Case-1 waters, an inclusive and quantitative Case-1 criterion for remote sensing applications is developed. The criterion allows Case-1 waters to have about two-fold variations of non-pigment absorption and particle backscattering around their exact Case-1 values, allowing a large range of waters to be classified as Case-1. Even so, application of this criterion to ocean color data from the SeaWiFS satellite sensor suggests that Case-1 waters occupy only about 60% of the global ocean surface. Regionally, more Case-1 waters are found in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere, and most Indian Ocean waters are found to be Case-1. The Case-1 percentage and spatial distribution change with season, and with the boundaries chosen in the criterion. Nevertheless, this study for the first time provides a quantitative and geographical perspective of Case-1 waters in global scale, and further demonstrates that many open ocean waters are not necessarily Case-1.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Remote Sensing of Environment, v. 101, issue 2, p. 270-276
Scholar Commons Citation
Lee, ZhongPing and Hu, Chuanmin, "Global Distribution of Case-1 Waters: An Analysis from SeaWiFS Measurements" (2006). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 2017.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/2017
