Remote Sensing of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter Dynamics
Summary
Remote sensing of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) has become a pivotal approach to monitoring organic carbon dynamics across aquatic ecosystems. By exploiting the selective absorption and scattering of sunlight by natural organic compounds, satellite and airborne sensors capture characteristic spectral signatures that enable mapping of spatio‐temporal CDOM variability in coastal, estuarine and open‐ocean waters. Foundational empirical band‐ratio models and bio‐optical inversions underpin many ocean‐colour missions, while the advent of hyperspectral and multispectral platforms aboard unmanned aerial vehicles and small satellites offers enhanced spatial and temporal resolution. Machine learning techniques now harness broad spectral datasets to disentangle CDOM from chlorophyll, suspended sediments and other optically active constituents. Integration of CDOM retrievals into biogeochemical models refines our understanding of global carbon fluxes, the transport of terrestrial organic matter and the role of dissolved organic carbon in coastal biogeochemistry. Practical applications range from tracing river plumes and algal bloom detection to supporting water quality assessments and climate research. Emerging trends emphasise real‐time monitoring, data assimilation and the convergence of active and passive sensing technologies for comprehensive DOM surveillance.
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Remote Sensing of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in remote sensing of colored dissolved organic matter dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
CDOM: Chromophoric dissolved organic matter, the light‐absorbing fraction of dissolved organic carbon in aquatic systems.
Remote sensing reflectance (Rrs): The ratio of water‐leaving radiance to downwelling irradiance, used to infer water constituents from satellite sensors.
Band ratio algorithm: A bio‐optical method that employs the ratio of reflectance at two wavelengths to estimate constituent concentrations.
Spectral slope (S275–295): The rate of change of CDOM absorption in the ultraviolet spectral range, indicative of dissolved organic matter composition and reactivity.
References
- Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter and Dissolved Organic Carbon from Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and MERIS Sensors: Case Study for the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Remote Sensing (2013).
- Hyperspectral Data and Machine Learning for Estimating CDOM, Chlorophyll a, Diatoms, Green Algae and Turbidity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2018).
- CDOM-DOC relationship in contrasted coastal waters: implication for DOC retrieval from ocean color remote sensing observation.. Optics Express (2015).
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