Cross calibration of ocean-color bands from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer on Terra platform

Ocean-color applications require maximum uncertainties in blue-wavelength water-leaving radiances in oligotrophic ocean of approximately 5%. Water-leaving radiances from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite, however, exhibit temporal drift of the order of 15% as well as sensor changes in response versus scan and polarization sensitivity, which cannot be tracked by onboard calibrators. This paper introduces an instrument characterization approach that uses Earth-view data as a calibration source. The approach models the top of the atmosphere signal over ocean that the instrument is expected to measure, including its polarization, with water-leaving radiances coming from another well-calibrated global sensor. The cross calibration allows for significant improvement in derived MODIS-Terra ocean-color products, with largest changes in the blue wavelengths.