Water quality,
measured along
the track
Our instruments measure fluorescence, scattering, and water-leaving reflectance from vessels, fixed stations, and small aircraft, with records tied to position and time
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Four days of LIFL-11 transects over the full length of Lake Balaton, 11 to 14 August 2026, from the Siófok basin to Keszthely bay, recording chlorophyll-a, CDOM, and elastic backscatter as ratios to the water Raman line
The two OQOMETHI micro-stations now carry the current mFL-12 lidar and mHR-2 radiometer, after unattended operation since April
From 11 to 14 August 2026 the LIFL-11 ran four transects over Lake Balaton from a mooring off Balatonföldvár, as part of a campaign of 10 to 21 August with the Balaton Limnological Research Institute on which the LIFL-11, two mFL-12 lidars and the mHR-2 radiometer worked together. The first day covered the eastern half, east into the Siófok basin and back along the north shore past Alsóörs. The 12th and 13th ran west along the south shore past Fonyód and Szigliget to Keszthely bay and back, and on the 14th the boat started in Keszthely bay and worked east to Balatonboglár in the morning, under the Sentinel-2B pass that the campaign had been timed to.
The two OQOMETHI micro-stations now carry the current mFL-12 lidar and mHR-2 radiometer, after unattended operation since April
The LIFL-11 mapped chlorophyll-a and CDOM across Goczałkowice Reservoir with two Polish university teams, followed by work at Farskie Lake
Each route is grounded in the instruments, the field record, and the partners involved
The LIFL-11 has supported studies of phytoplankton, CDOM, suspended matter, and coastal plumes. The resulting record includes peer-reviewed papers and validation work for Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3.
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Campaigns can address hydrocarbon releases, harmful algal blooms, wastewater outfalls, and suspended matter in coastal or inland waters. Findings are prepared for port authorities, water boards, regulators, and industrial operators.
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Active LIF measurements and passive Rrs can be acquired together during an overpass. The method has been used with Sentinel-2 MSI and Sentinel-3 OLCI data and can support work with PACE, MODIS, and VIIRS.
Review cal/val services
Records a 48-band spectrum at a station and maps four selected bands while the platform is underway
Measures fluorescence from a buoy, pier, or vessel, with unattended operation through day and night
Returns above-water Rrs for direct comparison with satellite ocean-colour observations
The field record includes the Black Sea, the Caspian, the Arctic Kara Sea, Patos Lagoon in Brazil, Issyk-Kul, the Volga, Lake Balaton, and the Venetian Lagoon. All three current instruments operated together during ESA's PHY2FLEX campaign in Venice in October 2025.
Gulf of Feodosia
Black Sea, 19 May 2015
Technical enquiries go directly to the team in Sophia Antipolis. We normally reply within two working days.
Occasional notes from the laboratory and the field, sent no more than once a month
