Hyperspectral observations of optical properties in lakes in perspective of future satellite sensors — A case study in ITALY

HICO, Hyperion and MERIS have already demonstrated the capabilities of hyperspectral sensors to gather information on optical properties in inland waters. With the advent of Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3, EnMap, PRISMA and HyspIRI we expect that application of remote sensing techniques for inland water quality assessment will progress even more. Some clear advantages rely on: 1) improved spatial resolution (so that even medium/small lakes are imaged), 2) increased frequency of overpasses (so that environmental processes are detected in time) and 3) enhanced sensor characteristics (which allow, for instance, the secondary phytoplankton pigments to be retrieved). In this study we present how these improvements will permit to deliver improved products for inland water quality addressing better the end-user demands.