Reflectance-based calibration of SeaWiFS. I. Calibration coefficients

We present a calibration approach for the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) based on the reflectance properties of the instrument's onboard diffuser. This technique uses SeaWiFS as a reflectometer, measuring the reflected solar irradiance from the Earth and from the onboard diffuser. Because the Sun is the common source of light for both measurements, the ratio of the SeaWiFS-measured radiances from the Earth and the diffuser provide the ratio for the reflectances of the two samples. The reflectance characterization of the onboard diffuser is the calibration reference for this approach. Knowledge of the value of the solar irradiance is not required for these measurements because it falls out of the ratio. Knowledge of the absolute calibration coefficient for the SeaWiFS measurements of each of the two samples is not required either. Instead, the result of the ratioing technique is based on the linearity of the instrument's response to the intensity of the input light. The calibration requires knowledge, however, of the reflectance of the onboard diffuser at the start of the SeaWiFS mission and the response of the instrument bands, in digital numbers, for measurements of the diffuser at that time.