Observation of chlorophyll fluorescence in west coast waters of Canada using the MODIS satellite sensor

The first observations of chlorophyll fluorescence from space for the west coast of Canada, using the U.S. moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS), show that the signals should provide a useful new tool for studying chlorophyll biomass and primary productivity. We compare MODIS fluorescence and sea-viewing wide field-of-view sensor (SeaWiFS) chlorophyll data, using a simple theoretical model of the expected variation of fluorescence emission with variations in chlorophyll concentration. The results show good agreement with the model and appear to allow separation of water masses according to fluorescence yield. As additional MODIS data come available it will be possible to study data for the full range of seasonal conditions. Additional data from the European medium-resolution imaging spectrometer (MERIS) sensor are available from 2002.