Using MERIS fused images for land-cover mapping and vegetation status assessment in heterogeneous landscapes

In this paper we evaluate the potential of ENVISAT–Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) fused images for land-cover mapping and vegetation status assessment in heterogeneous landscapes. A series of MERIS fused images (15 spectral bands; 25 m pixel size) is created using the linear mixing model and a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) image acquired over the Netherlands. First, the fused images are classified to produce a map of the eight main land-cover types of the Netherlands. Subsequently, the maps are validated using the Dutch land-cover/land-use database as a reference. Then, the fused image with the highest overall classification accuracy is selected as the best fused image. Finally, the best fused image is used to compute three vegetation indices: the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and two indices specifically designed to monitor vegetation status using MERIS data: the MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI) and the MERIS global vegetation index (MGVI).

Results indicate that the selected data fusion approach is able to downscale MERIS data to a Landsat-like spatial resolution. The spectral information in the fused images originates fully from MERIS and is not influenced by the TM data. Classification results for the TM and for the best fused image are similar and, when comparing spectrally similar images (i.e. TM with no short-wave infrared bands), the results of the fused image outperform those of TM. With respect to the vegetation indices, a good correlation was found between the NDVI computed from TM and from the best fused image (in spite of the spectral differences between these two sensors). In addition, results show the potential of using MERIS vegetation indices computed from fused images to monitor individual fields. This is not possible using the original MERIS full resolution image. Therefore, we conclude that MERIS–TM fused images are very useful to map heterogeneous landscapes.     

Land cover classification using multi‐temporal MERIS vegetation indices

The spectral, spatial, and temporal resolutions of Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data are attractive for regional‐ to global‐scale land cover mapping. Moreover, two novel and operational vegetation indices derived from MERIS data have considerable potential as discriminating variables in land cover classification. Here, the potential of these two vegetation indices (the MERIS global vegetation index (MGVI), MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI)) was evaluated for mapping eleven broad land cover classes in Wisconsin. Data acquired in the high and low chlorophyll seasons were used to increase inter‐class separability. The two vegetation indices provided a higher degree of inter‐class separability than data acquired in many of the individual MERIS spectral wavebands. The most accurate landcover map (73.2%) was derived from a classification of vegetation index‐derived data with a support vector machine (SVM), and was more accurate than the corresponding map derived from a classification using the data acquired in the original spectral wavebands.     

Phenology of vegetation in Southern England from Envisat MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI) data

Given the close association between climate change and vegetation response, there is a pressing requirement to monitor the phenology of vegetation and understand further how its metrics vary over space and time. This article explores the use of the Envisat MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI) data set for monitoring vegetation phenology, via its estimates of chlorophyll content. The MTCI was used to construct the phenological profile of and extract key phenological event dates from woodland and grass/heath land in Southern England as these represented a range of chlorophyll contents and different phenological cycles. The period 2003–2008 was selected as this was known to be a period with temperature and phenological anomalies. Comparisons of the MTCI-derived phenology data were made with ground indicators and climatic proxy of phenology and with other vegetation indices: MERIS global vegetation index (MGVI), MODIS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI). Close correspondence between MTCI and canopy phenology as indicated by ground observations and climatic proxy was evident. Also observed was a difference between MTCI-derived phenological profile curves and key event dates (e.g. green-up, season length) and those derived from MERIS MGVI, MODIS NDVI and MODIS EVI. The research presented in this article supports the use of the Envisat MTCI for monitoring vegetation phenology, principally due to its sensitivity to canopy chlorophyll content, a vegetation property that is a useful proxy for the canopy physical and chemical alterations associated with phenological change.     

The MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index

The long wavelength edge of the major chlorophyll absorption feature in the spectrum of a vegetation canopy moves to longer wavelengths with an increase in chlorophyll content. The position of this red-edge has been used successfully to estimate, by remote sensing, the chlorophyll content of vegetation canopies. Techniques used to estimate this red-edge position (REP) have been designed for use on small volumes of continuous spectral data rather than the large volumes of discontinuous spectral data recorded by contemporary satellite spectrometers. Also, each technique produces a different value of REP from the same spectral data and REP values are relatively insensitive to chlorophyll content at high values of chlorophyll content. This paper reports on the design and indirect evaluation of a surrogate REP index for use with spectral data recorded at the standard band settings of the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS). This index, termed the MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI), was evaluated using model spectra, field spectra and MERIS data. It was easy to calculate (and so can be automated), was correlated strongly with REP but unlike REP was sensitive to high values of chlorophyll content. As a result this index became an official MERIS level-2 product of the European Space Agency in March 2004. Further direct evaluation of the MTCI is proposed, using both greenhouse and field data.     

The potential of the MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index for carbon flux estimation

In this study we evaluated the potential of the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) for monitoring gross primary productivity (GPP) across fifteen eddy covariance towers encompassing a wide variation in North American vegetation composition. The across-site relationship between MTCI and tower GPP was stronger than that between either the MODIS GPP or EVI and tower GPP, suggesting that data from the MERIS sensor can be used as a valid alternative to MODIS for estimating carbon fluxes. Correlations between tower GPP and both vegetation indices (EVI and MTCI) were similar only for deciduous vegetation, indicating that physiologically driven spectral indices, such as the MTCI, may also complement existing structurally-based indices in satellite-based carbon flux modeling efforts.     

Mapping percentage tree cover from Envisat MERIS data using linear and nonlinear techniques

The aim of this study was to predict percentage tree cover from Envisat Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) imagery with a spatial resolution of 300 m by comparing four common models: a multiple linear regression (MLR) model, a linear mixture model (LMM), an artificial neural network (ANN) model and a regression tree (RT) model. The training data set was derived from a fine spatial resolution land cover classification of IKONOS imagery. Specifically, this classification was aggregated to predict percentage tree cover at the MERIS spatial resolution. The predictor variables included the MERIS wavebands plus biophysical variables (the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), leaf area index (LAI), fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR), fraction of green vegetation covering a unit area of horizontal soil (fCover) and MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI)) estimated from the MERIS data. An RT algorithm was the most accurate model to predict percentage tree cover based on the Envisat MERIS bands and vegetation biophysical variables. This study showed that Envisat MERIS data can be used to predict percentage tree cover with considerable spatial detail. Inclusion of the biophysical variables led to greater accuracy in predicting percentage tree cover. This finer-scale depiction should be useful for environmental monitoring purposes at the regional scale.     

Validating the MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) with ground chlorophyll content data at MERIS spatial resolution

The Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI), a standard level 2 European Space Agency (ESA) product, provides information on the chlorophyll content of vegetation (amount of chlorophyll per unit area of ground). This is a combination of information on Leaf Area Index (LAI, area of leaves per unit area of ground) and the chlorophyll concentration of those leaves. The MTCI correlates strongly with chlorophyll content when using model, laboratory and field spectrometry data. However, MTCI calculated with MERIS data has only been correlated with surrogate chlorophyll content data. This is because of the logistical difficulties of determining the chlorophyll content of the area covered by a MERIS pixel (9 × 10⁴ m²). This paper reports the first attempt to determine the relationship between MTCI and chlorophyll content using actual MERIS data and actual chlorophyll content data.

During the summer of 2006 LAI and chlorophyll concentration data were collected for eight large (> 25 ha) fields around Dorchester in southern England. The fields contained six crops (beans, linseed, wheat, grass, oats and maize) at different stages of maturity and with different canopy structures, LAIs and chlorophyll concentrations. A stratified sampling method was used in which each field contained sampling units in proportion to the spatial variability of the crop. Within each unit 25 random points were sampled. This approach captured the variability of the field and reduced the potential bias introduced by the planting pattern or later agricultural treatments (e.g. pesticides or herbicides). At each random point LAI was estimated using an LAI-2000 plant canopy analyser and chlorophyll concentration was estimated using a Minolta-SPAD chlorophyll meter. In addition, for each field a calibration set of 30 contiguous SPAD measurements and associated leaf samples were collected.

The relationship between MTCI and chlorophyll content was positive. The coefficient of determination (R²) was 0.62, root mean square error (RMSE) was 244 g per MERIS pixel and accuracy of estimation (in relation to the mean) was 65%. However, one field included a high proportion of seed heads, which artificially increased the measured LAI and thus chlorophyll content. Removal of this field from the dataset resulted in a stronger relationship between MTCI and chlorophyll content with an R² of 0.8, an RMSE of 192 g per MERIS pixel and accuracy of estimation (in relation to the mean) of 71%.     

Blending MODIS and Landsat images for urban flood mapping

Satellite images provide important data sources for monitoring flood disasters. However, the trade-off between spatial and temporal resolutions of current satellite sensors limits their uses in urban flooding studies. This study applied and compared two data fusion models, the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) and Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (ESTARFM), in generating synthetic flooding images with improved temporal and spatial resolution for flood mapping. The synthetic images are produced in two scenarios: (1) for real-time prediction based on Landsat and MODIS images acquired before the investigated flooding; and (2) for post-disaster prediction based on images acquired after the flooding. The 2005 Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans was selected as a case study. The result shows that the Landsat-like images generated can be successfully applied in flood mapping. Particularly, ESTARFM surpasses STARFM in predicting surface reflectance in both real-time and post-flooding predictions. However, the flood mapping results from the Landsat-like images produced by both STARFM and ESTARFM are similar with overall accuracy around 0.9. Only for the flooding maps of real-time predictions does ESTARFM get a slightly higher overall accuracy than STARFM, indicating that the lower quality of the Landsat-like image generated by STARFM may not affect flood mapping accuracy, due to the marked contrast between land and water. This study suggests great potential of both STARFM and ESTARFM in urban flooding research. Blending multi-sources images could also support other disaster studies that require remotely sensed data with both high spatial and temporal resolution.     

The MERIS Global Vegetation Index (MGVI): Description and preliminary application

This paper describes the physical and mathematical approach followed to design a vegetation index optimized for the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) sensor, i.e. the MERIS Global Vegetation Index (MGVI). It complements an earlier feasibility study presented elsewhere in this issue by Govaerts and collaborators. Specifically, the crucial issue of the dependency of the vegetation index on changes in illumination and observing geometries is addressed, together with the atmospheric contamination problem. The derivation of the optimal MGVI index formulae allows a comparison of its performance with that of the widely used Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), both from a theoretical and an experimental point of view. Data collected by the MOS/IRS-P3 instrument since March 1996 in spectral bands analogous to those that will be available from MERIS can be used to evaluate the MVGI.     

Comparison of vegetation phenological metrics extracted from GIMMS NDVIg and MERIS MTCI data sets over China

Evaluating vegetation phenology is crucial for a better understanding of the effects of climate change on the terrestrial ecosystem. The scientific community has used various vegetation index data sets from different sensors to quantify vegetation phenology from regional to global scales. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) related to photosynthetic activities is the most widely used index. Recently, a number of published articles have used the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI) to measure vegetation phenology. MTCI can closely represent the red-edge position (REP). Unlike NDVI, MTCI is more sensitive to high values of chlorophyll content. However, the consistency of vegetation phenological metrics derived from MTCI and NDVI needs to be further explored. This study compared two phenological metrics, i.e. onset of greenness (OG) and end of senescence (ES), extracted from MERIS MTCI data and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) first generation NDVI (NDVIg) data, which has the longest time records, at nine regions in China from 2003 to 2006. The results showed that the differences of OG and ES vary between different vegetation types, regions, and years, although both NDVI and MTCI time series capture the growth patterns well for most vegetation types. Compared to ES, the OG estimates are more consistent. NDVI yields in general later ES estimates than MTCI.     

Uncertainty estimates for the FAPAR operational products derived from MERIS — Impact of top-of-atmosphere radiance uncertainties and validation with field data

This paper discusses the accuracy of the operational Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) Level 2 land product which corresponds to the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR). The FAPAR value is estimated from daily MERIS spectral measurements acquired at the top-of-atmosphere, using a physically based approach. The products are operationally available at the reduced spatial resolution, i.e. 1.2 km, and can be computed at the full spatial resolution, i.e. at 300 m, from the top-of-atmosphere MERIS data by using the same algorithm. The quality assessment of the MERIS FAPAR products capitalizes on the availability of five years of data acquired globally. The actual validation exercise is performed in two steps including, first, an analysis of the accuracy of the FAPAR algorithm itself with respect to the spectral measurements uncertainties and, second, with a direct comparison of the FAPAR time series against ground-based estimations as well as similar FAPAR products derived from other optical sensor data. The results indicate that the impact of top-of-atmosphere radiance uncertainties on the operational MERIS FAPAR products accuracy is expected to be at about 5-10% and the agreement with the ground-based estimates over different canopy types is achieved within ± 0.1.     

Spatio-spectral fusion of satellite images based on dictionary-pair learning

This paper proposes a novel spatial and spectral fusion method for satellite multispectral and hyperspectral (or high-spectral) images based on dictionary-pair learning. By combining the spectral information from sensors with low spatial resolution but high spectral resolution (LSHS) and the spatial information from sensors with high spatial resolution but low spectral resolution (HSLS), this method aims to generate fused data with both high spatial and spectral resolution. Based on the sparse non-negative matrix factorization technique, this method first extracts spectral bases of LSHS and HSLS images by making full use of the rich spectral information in LSHS data. The spectral bases of these two categories data then formulate a dictionary-pair due to their correspondence in representing each pixel spectra of LSHS data and HSLS data, respectively. Subsequently, the LSHS image is spatial unmixed by representing the HSLS image with respect to the corresponding learned dictionary to derive its representation coefficients. Combining the spectral bases of LSHS data and the representation coefficients of HSLS data, fused data are finally derived which are characterized by the spectral resolution of LSHS data and the spatial resolution of HSLS data. The experiments are carried out by comparing the proposed method with two representative methods on both simulation data and actual satellite images, including the fusion of Landsat/ETM+ and Aqua/MODIS data and the fusion of EO-1/Hyperion and SPOT5/HRG multispectral images. By visually comparing the fusion results and quantitatively evaluating them in term of several measurement indices, it can be concluded that the proposed method is effective in preserving both the spectral information and spatial details and performs better than the comparison approaches.     

波段自适应细节注入的高分五号与Sentinel-2遥感影像空谱融合

目的 针对当前空谱融合方法应用到高光谱图像融合时,出现的空间细节信息提升明显但光谱失真,或者光谱保真度高但空间细节信息提升不足的问题,本文提出一种波段自适应细节注入的高分五号（GF-5）高光谱图像（30 m）与Sentinel-2多光谱图像（10 m）的遥感影像空谱融合方法。方法 首先,为了解决两个多波段图像不便于直接融合的问题,提出一种波段自适应的融合策略,对多光谱图像波谱范围以外的高光谱图像波段,以相关系数为标准将待融合图像进行分组。其次,针对传统Gram-Schmidt （GS）融合方法用平均权重系数模拟低分辨率图像造成的光谱失真问题,使用最小均方误差估计计算线性拟合系数,再将拟合图像作为第1分量进行GS正变换,提升融合图像的光谱保真度。最后,为了能同时注入更多的空间细节信息,通过非下采样轮廓波变换将拟合图像、空间细节信息图像和多光谱图像的空间、光谱信息融入到重构的高空间分辨率图像中,再将其与其他GS分量一起进行逆变换,最终得到10 m分辨率的GF-5融合图像。结果 通过与当前用于高光谱图像空谱融合的典型方法比较,本文方法对于受时相影响较小的城镇区域,在提升空间分辨率的同时有较好的光谱保真度,且不会出现噪点;对于受时相变化影响大的植被密集区域,本文方法融合图像有较好的清晰度和地物细节信息,且没有噪点出现。本文方法的CC （correlation coefficient）、ERGAS （erreur relative globale adimensionnelle de synthèse）和SAM （spectral angle mapper）相比于传统GS方法分别提升8%、26%和28%,表明本文方法的光谱保真度大大提高。结论 本文方法的结果空间上没有噪点且光谱曲线与原始光谱曲线基本保持一致,是一种兼具高空间分辨率和高光谱保真度的高光谱图像融合方法。     

An image fusion method based on object-oriented classification

In image fusion of different spatial resolution multispectral (MS) and panchromatic (PAN) images, a spectrally mixed MS pixel superimposes multiple mixed PAN pixels and multiple pure PAN pixels. This verifies that with increased spatial resolution in imaging, a low spatial resolution spectrally mixed subpixel may be unmixed to be a pure pixel. However, spectral unmixing of mixed MS subpixels is rarely considered in current remote-sensing image fusion methods, resulting in blurred fused images. In the image fusion method proposed in this article, such spectral unmixing is realized. In this method, the MS and PAN images are jointly segmented into image objects, image objects are classified to obtain a classification map of the PAN image and each MS subpixel is fused to be a pixel matching the class of the corresponding PAN pixel. Tested on spatially degraded IKONOS MS and PAN images with a significant spatial resolution ratio of 8:1, the fusion method offered fused images with high spectral quality and deblurred visualization.     

Spatiotemporal fusion through the best linear unbiased estimator to generate fine spatial resolution NDVI time series

Spatiotemporal fusion (STF) technologies are commonly used to acquire high spatiotemporal resolution remote sensing observations. However, most STF technologies fail to consider the nonlinear variation in vegetation in the time domain. Based on the Best Linear Unbiased Estimator (BLUE), this paper proposed a novel STF algorithm (referred to BLUE) which accounts for the phenological characteristics of vegetation. First, annual time series of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data with high spatial resolution but low temporal resolution is fitted using a double logistic function and used as the background field. Then, NDVI data with low spatial resolution but high temporal resolution is used as the observation field. The information in the background and observation fields is fused using the BLUE to obtain high spatiotemporal resolution NDVI data. The proposed algorithm was used to produce dense time series of 30 m resolution NDVI data for a 10 km × 10 km experimental area in 2014. The experimental results demonstrate that the accuracy of fusion results from the proposed BLUE method are higher than those from the enhanced spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (ESTARFM) and Linear Mixing Growth Model (LMGM), especially when the temporal component of surface heterogeneity is dominant. The proposed algorithm has broad prospects in vegetation monitoring at high spatiotemporal resolution.     

Burned area mapping with MERIS post-fire image

MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) offers a good balance between spectral, temporal and spatial resolution for mapping burned areas at a regional scale. In this article MERIS images were used to map fire-affected areas in the north-west of Spain, where extensive burning occurred in the summer of 2006. MERIS spectral indices and their ability to discriminate burned area signals have been assessed in this article. Additionally, the potentials of the spectral angle images (SAI) for mapping fire-affected areas were explored. SAI was used to measure the differences between pixels and reference spectra. The reference spectra were obtained from pure burned pixels in the image as well as from field spectral measurements. The MERIS burned area maps were then validated with visually digitized fire perimeters, produced from Advanced Wide Field Sensor, with 60 m pixel size. The Pareto boundary method was used to evaluate the errors from the error matrix, taking into account the spatial resolution of the sensor. This made it possible to discriminate between the errors caused by the spatial resolution and those caused by the limitations of the classification technique. Finally, the Euclidean distance between the errors and the Pareto boundary function was calculated in order to select the best result in an objective way. The η index, a component of the Global Environmental Monitoring Index, showed the best performance among the input indices, with distance values of 3.3 in the fires related to a reference fire polygon; followed by SAI computed from the spectrum obtained from the image with a distance value of 5.7.     

Relationships between Remotely Sensed Chlorophyll Index and Maximum Carboxylation Rate

Process-based ecological models，which simulate carbon exchange at the land\|surface，were powerful and indispensable tools for calculating regional and global spatiotemporal variations of terrestrial Gross Primary Productivity(GPP).Vcmax(maximum carboxylation rate)，one of the most critical parameters in the ecological models，was of significance in accurate calculation of GPP.However，the traditional methods of obtaining Vcmax is time\|consuming and laborintensive.In this study，correlations between three types of chlorophyll index(Modified Transformed Chlorophyll Absorption in Reflectance Index，Transformed Chlorophyll Absorption in Reflectance Index，and MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index) and canopy Vcmaxwas analyzed for different sites，and correlations between MTCI and canopy Vcmax for different time series of the same site.Results showed there were strong relationships between chlorophyll indices and canopy Vcmax.In the three types f chlorophyll index，the results show the most obvious correlations between MTCI and canopy Vcmax.For different time series of the same site，the relationship varies with different plant type.Results indicated that the remotely sensed chlorophyll index has ability to estimate Vcmax with spatial and temporal variations.     

Spatial scale variations in vegetation indices and above-ground biomass estimates: Implications for MERIS

The Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) is one of the sensors carried by Envisat. MERIS is a fully programmable imaging spectrometer, however a standard 15-channel band set will be transmitted for each 300 m pixel (over land while over the ocean the pixels will be aggregated to 1200 m spatial resolution) covering visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Since MERIS is a multidisciplinary sensor providing data that can be input into ecosystem models at various scales, we studied MERIS's performance relative to the scale of observation using simulated datasets degraded to various spatial resolutions in the range of 6-300 m. Algorithms to simulate MERIS data using airborne imaging spectrometer datasets were presented, including a case study from DAIS (i.e. Digital Airborne Imaging Spectrometer) 79-channel imaging spectrometer data acquired on 8 July 1997 over the Le Peyne test site in southern France. For selected target endmembers garrigue, maquis, mixed oak forest, pine forest and bare agricultural field, regions-of-interest (ROI) were defined in the DAIS scene. For each of the endmembers, the vegetation index values in the corresponding ROI is calculated for the MERIS data at the spatial resolutions ranging from 6 to 300 m. We applied the NDVI, PVI, WDVI, SAVI, MSAVI, MSAVI2 and GEMI vegetation indices. Above-ground biomass (AGB) was estimated in the field and derived from the DAIS image and the MERIS datasets (6-300 m spatial resolution). The vegetation indices are shown to be constant with the spatial scale of observation. The strongest correlation between the MERIS and DAIS NDVI is obtained when using a linear model with an offset of 0.15 ( r =0.31). A Pearson correlation matrix between AGB measured in the field and each spectral band reveals a modest but significant ( p <0.05) correlation for most spectral bands. When mathematical functions are fitted through the NDVI and biomass data, an exponential fit shows the extinction and saturation at larger vegetation biomass values. The correlation between biomass and NDVI for DAIS as well as for the MERIS simulated dataset is modest. Further research is required to analyse the scale effects that limit the correlation between field and image AGB estimates.     

EMD方法在多光谱遥感图像融合中的应用

多光谱图像具有较高的光谱分辨率,而其空间分辨率比较低,致使融合后的多光谱图像空间细节的表现能力不足。为了克服这种融合图像空间细节表达能力差的问题,本文提出了用EMD(EmpiricalModeDecomposition)方法对多光谱图像进行分解,提取空间细节和纹理信息,并将其叠合到融合图像上的方法。实验表明:改善了视觉效果,提高融合图像的空间表达能力。     

Using MERIS full resolution data to monitor coastal waters — A case study from Himmerfjärden, a fjord-like bay in the northwestern Baltic Sea

In this paper we investigate if MERIS full resolution (FR) data (300 m) is sufficient to monitor changes in optical constituents in Himmerfjärden, a fjord-like, north–south facing bay of about 30 km length and 4 km width. The MERIS FR products were derived using a coastal processor (FUB Case-2 Plug-In). We also compared the performance between FUB and standard processor (MEGS 7.4), using reduced resolution (RR) data (1 km resolution) from the open Baltic Sea, and compared the products to sea-truthing data. The optical variables measured for sea-truthing were chlorophyll, suspended particulate matter (SPM), as well as coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM, also termed yellow substances), and the spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient, K_d(490). The comparison of the RR data to the sea-truthing data showed that, in the open Baltic Sea, the MERIS standard processor overestimated chlorophyll by about 59%, and SPM by about 28%, and underestimated yellow substance by about 81%, whereas the FUB processor underestimated SPM by about 60%, CDOM by about 78%, and chlorophyll a by about 56%. The FUB processor showed a relatively high precision for all optical components (standard deviation: 6–18%), whereas the precision for the MEGS 7.4 was rather low (standard deviation: 43–73%), except for CDOM (standard deviation: 13%). The analysis of the FR data showed that all FR level 2 water products derived from MERIS followed a polynomial decline in concentration when moving off-shore. The distribution of chlorophyll and SPM was best described by a 2nd order polynomial, and the distribution of CDOM by a 3rd order polynomial, verifying the diffusional model described in Kratzer and Tett [Kratzer, S. and Tett, P. (in press). Using bio-optics to investigate the extent of coastal waters — a Swedish case study. Hydrobiologia.]. A new K_d(490) and Secchi depth algorithm based on MERIS channel 3 (490 nm) and channel 6 (620 nm) each was derived from radiometric sea-truthing data (TACCS, Satlantic). Applying the K_d(490) algorithm to the MERIS FR data over Himmerfjärden, and comparing to sea-truthing data the results showed a strong correlation (r = 0.94). When comparing the FR data to the sea-truthing data CDOM and K_d(490) showed a low accuracy, but a high precision with a rather constant off-set. In summary, one may state that the precision of MERIS data improves by applying the FUB Case-2 processor and the accuracy improves with improved spatial resolution for chlorophyll and SPM. Furthermore, the FUB processor can be used off-the-shelf for open Baltic Sea monitoring, provided one corrects for the respective off-set from sea-truthing data which is most likely caused by an inaccuracy in the atmospheric correction. Additionally, the FR data can be used to derive CDOM, K_d(490) and Secchi depth in Himmmerfjärden if one corrects for the respective off-set. We will need to perform more comparisons between sea-truthing and MERIS FR data before the new K_d(490) algorithm can be made operational, including also scenes from other times of year. In order to provide a level 2 product that can be used reliably by the Baltic Sea user community, our recommendation to ESA is to include the spectral attenuation coefficient as a MERIS standard product.