ARSF project GB07/06: Level 1 Validation of the Envisat MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI). Led by: Dr. Doreen Sandra Boyd, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD. Location: Dorchester, UK..

Satellite remote sensing provides the opportunity to measure and monitor key photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll content of vegetation canopies, which are a key and dynamic component of global ecosystems. The widely accepted red-edge algorithm, used to estimate chlorophyll content from remotely sensed data, is not suitable for use with satellite imagery. To overcome this problem, the new Envisat MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll index (MCTI) has been developed. It is the only satellite chlorophyll index available for use and is available to users as a Level 2 product from the European Space Agency. However, there is a need to validate the MCTI. Data provided as part of a NERC ARSF campaign is a key part of the validation procedure; this research proposed that the MCTI be validated via high resolution imagery (CASI) and LiDAR point cloud data. The validation sites in Dorchester and the New Forest with its vegetation types provided a range of chlorophyll contents to be studied. Validation results will be useful to the producers (ESA) and users of the MCTI products and to refine further validation efforts.