An improved in-water algorithm for the determination of chlorophyll and suspended sediment concentration from Thematic Mapper data in coastal waters

An algorithm suitable for the determination of chlorophyll and suspended sediment concentrations in coastal waters from Thematic Mapper data has been obtained through a numerical simulation. The computation has been carried out by a three-component model of sea colour derived from in-situ measurements performed in the Gulf of Naples. The algorithm accounts for large deviations from the mean correlation of chlorophyll and sediment concentrations observed in the area. Since spatial and temporal fluctuations of this basic correlation are characteristic of the coastal zone, the proposed procedure could be put to practical use.