Satellite imagery of the North Sea from the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS)shows complex seasonal changes in the optical and biological properties of surface waters,features which have not been resolved, hitherto, through direct observations from ships. Selectedscenes for the period 1979-1986, presented as single band (channel 3), colour composite(channels 1 + 2 + 3) and chlorophyll (channels 1/3 or 2/3) images, are used to demonstrate therelative surface distributions between February and October of suspended sediments, coccolitho-phores and plant pigments. Comparisons are made also with sea surface temperature imagesfrom the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). Quantitative evaluation ofthe CZCS data is restricted by a lack of contemporary in situ optical and biological measurements.However, chlorophyll and Secchi disc distributions, determined by measurements from researchships have been compared qualitatively with images from the Southern Bight (13 May 1986) andfor the east central North Sea (24 August 1984 and 24 October 1985). Mini series of CZCS imagesare presented to show the annual coccolithophore blooms, the development of the spring bloomin 1980 in the eastern and north western parts of the North Sea, advection and mixing processesin the Skagerrak, June 1983 and summer chlorophyll distributions in the German Bight.
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