An Ocean CAL-VAL Site at Kavaratti in Lakshadweep for Vicarious Calibration of OCM-2 and Validation of Geophysical Products—Development and Operationalization

A pair of buoys (system), MET and OPTICAL, consisting of fully automated hyperspectral radiometers, fluorometer, and meteorological sensors, has been realized and deployed in deep ocean case-I site at Kavaratti in Lakshadweep, Arabian Sea, for preprogrammed in situ data collection and transmission via INSAT-3C satellite. The buoy of described configuration is capable of measuring in-water optical and biological parameters in an unattended manner for long-term time series with less vertical tilt. A robotic sun/sky photometer installed on Kavaratti Island simultaneously provides information on aerosols over the site. A combination of these parameters available hourly in real time throughout the day from unattended systems in the ocean as well as on island provides an ideal reference site. The paper reports recent collection of bio-optical marine observations over the site and use of the data for OCM-2 vicarious calibration and validation of geophysical products.