A multispectral analysis of algal bloom in the Gulf of Mexico

Skylab multispectral scanner data acquired on January 21, 1974, were used to study the spectral characteristics of an algal bloom in the Gulf of Mexico west of Fort Myers, Florida. Radiance profiles of the water and algae were prepared with data from ten bands of the S192 scanner covering the spectral range from .42 to 2.35 micrometers. The high spectral response in the near-infrared spectral bands implies a possible classification and discrimination parameter for detection of blooms of phytoplankton concentrations such as the so-called red tides of Florida.