Editorial for the Special Issue “Remote Sensing of Water Quality”

• Published in: Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 18; p. 2178
• Main Authors: Moses, Wesley J., Miller, W. David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 19.09.2019
• Subjects: Algorithms; Atmospheric correction; bio-optical modeling; Biogeochemistry; Capacity development; Chlorophyll; coasts; Conflicts of interest; Ecological function; Ecological monitoring; end-user engagement; Environmental monitoring; Estuaries; Functional groups; Gold mines & mining; Information retrieval; inland waters; Laboratories; Marine ecosystems; monitoring; ocean color; optical complexity; Optical properties; Pigments; Plankton; Remote sensing; Remote sensors; Sensors; spatial variability; surface water; Time series; Water monitoring; Water quality; Water quality management; Mali; United States > US; Gulf of Mexico; Lake Stechlin; Taihu Lake; Baltic Sea; Germany
• ISSN: 2072-4292; 2072-4292
• DOI: 10.3390/rs11182178

[...]the development of spaceborne hyperspectral sensors, such as the upcoming Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, will provide unprecedented spectral information at a global scale that can be used to quantitatively estimate the biogeochemical composition of water, detect pigment assemblages, and monitor ecological functional groups. Though hyperspectral data provide a wealth of spectral information, the retrievals—particularly, the retrievals of ancillary pigments—are subject to uncertainties due to sensor noise, radiometric calibration, and atmospheric correction. [...]research efforts in developing water quality products need to be coordinated with the needs of the end-user community that is actually engaged in water quality monitoring. A robust engagement with the end-user community is required to identify the community’s needs and develop efficient tools for water quality product generation, data dissemination, capacity building, and citizen education.