Scientists acquire field data in the Gulf of Riga

On August 2015 scientists from the Estonian Marine Institute and the Institute for Environmental Solutions collected ground data in the Gulf of Riga as part of the SENTIBALT project. The objective of the project is to simulate European Space Agency’s (ESA) Sentinel-3 satellite using airborne remote sensing.  Ground data was collected in conjunction with airborne remote sensing data accuracy and support further analysis.

The location, shallowness, brackish water and low biodiversity level makes the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga a complex ecosystem that requires carefully managed assessment and presents challenges to conventional remote sensing methods. To ensure the required precision the project team developed a carefully designed route of measurement points for both airborne remote sensing and field data collection.

With ESA’s support, as part of the SENTIBALT project scientists will develop improved algorithms for the assessment of the Baltic Sea environmental conditions and its optically active substances, such as chlorophyll distribution. The algorithms will be used to turn the collected data into vital and objective information about the Baltic Sea’s surface, the quality of incoming waters, sources of pollution, and other marine ecology factors.