Results of the CZCS validation program

After the launch of the Nimbus-7 satellite carrying the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) in October 1978, validation experiments were carried out wherein ships conducted measurements simultaneously with satellite overpasses. The results of the ship measurements of pigment concentration, diffuse attenuation coefficient, and upwelled radiance, were compared with those derived from the satellite using algorithms developed by the Nimbus Experiment Team (NET) for the CZCS. Results of those validations show that the satellite calculations agree with the ship measurements in pigment concentration in most cases to %, and in diffuse attenuation coefficient, to a somewhat better accuracy. Results of these validation exercises have been applied to develop the algorithms that are now producing the production level products in photographic and magnetic tape formats.