Oceansat Imagery from the Earth Scan Laboratory

The rivers usually flood in spring and sometimes into summer, producing a stratified water column. The river-borne nutrients fuel large phytoplankton blooms on the shelf.

These physical and biological processes can result in hypoxia on the shelf, and the "dead zone". The Ocean Color Monitor (OCM), with 8 spectral bands similar to NASA's SeaWiFS sensor, is used to estimate chlorophyll a concentrations as well as to quantify suspended sediments. "True color" enhancements can provide additional information on cloud cover, water mass color/types, vegetation health, and bottom type. The fate of river waters and the location of ocean eddies can be determined using various channels and channel combinations from "ocean color sensors".