Remote sensing observations of the phytoplankton distribution in Lake Kinneret

Reflectance spectra from 400 to 750 nm were measured in Lake Kinneret, when low phytoplankton stock prevailed, with chlorophyll concentrations from 3.1 to 7.3 μg/l. Algorithms for estimation of chlorophyll (CHL) concentration were devised using reflectances in the blue and green region of the spectrum and natural solar induced fluorescence. The fluorescence was calculated either from the reflectance height above a baseline drawn between 650 and 715 nm or between 670 and 730 nm, and also from the sum of reflectance above the base line through 670 and 730 nm. This paper presents experimental evidence showing that fluorescence can be successfully used as indicator of CHL content