Por Astrid Bracher (PHYTOOPTICS Group, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research & Institute of Environmental Physics at the University of Bremen).

Different types of phytoplankton dominate the ocean biomes and by that drive differently the marine food web, the biogeochemical cycling in the ocean and exchange mechanisms with the atmosphere. Differences in morphology, size and pigmentation among various phytoplankton taxonomic groups impact their light absorption and scattering properties which modifies the color of the ocean. Optical satellite remote sensing enables the detection of backscattered sunlight emanating from the water surface (so-called ocean color). The remote-sensing products provide synoptic coverage of surface waters at global scale, and with a spatial coverage impossible from in-situ sampling. In this presentation different methods to quantify major phytoplankton groups of the global ocean are explained and examples of their application for assessing their phenology are given.