POSTER Session 1

Advancing Ocean Color Observations in the US: Getting ready for Enhanced Resolution from next Generation Geostationary satellites

The upcoming Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) mission, developed through a partnership between NOAA and NASA, promises to enhance the capabilities of the current Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites – R series (GOES-R) satellite series by offering advanced ocean color observations. These observations will focus on the U.S. coastal, oceanic, and freshwater systems from a geostationary orbit, specifically designed to meet NOAA’s observational requirements. Scheduled for launch in the early 2030s, the mission will deploy a constellation of three satellites, with two equipped with state-of-the-art ocean color sensors (OCX). These advancements are complemented by the recently launched NASA’s Plankton Aerosol Cloud ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission and the forthcoming Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) mission, positioning the ocean color instrument within a sophisticated array of hyperspectral imagers that cover the UV to NIR spectrum. This frequent monitoring capability is pivotal for tracking short-term daily variations in ocean ecosystems, such as harmful algal blooms, improving marine fisheries models, and overcoming challenges posed by cloud cover, thereby improving spatiotemporal coverage. However, it is unclear how the hyperspectral nature of the instrument will advance separation of algal blooms in coastal systems, and improve the ability to guide resource managers on the potential toxicity of a bloom. This presentation will offer a detailed examination of OCX’s technical specifications and demonstrate its potential through initial investigations of PACE imagery and lab phytoplankton culture experiments.

Michelle Tomlinson, NOAA, USA

Ryan Vandermeulen, NOAA National Marine Fisheries, USA

Amir Ibrahim, NASA, USA

Kaytee Pokrzywinski, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, USA

Sachidananda Mishra, Consolidated Safety Services, Inc., and NOAA, USA

Timothy Wynne, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, USA

Andrew Heidinger, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), USA

Pamela Sullivan, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), USA

Andrew Latto, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), USA

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