An Improved Cloud Masking Method for GOCI Data over Turbid Coastal Waters

Clouds severely hinder the radiative transmission of visible light; thus, correctly masking cloudy and non-cloudy pixels is a preliminary step in processing ocean color remote sensing data. However, cloud masking over turbid waters is prone to misjudgment, leading to loss of non-cloudy pixel data. This research proposes an improved cloud masking method over turbid water to classify cloudy and non-cloudy pixels based on spectral variability of Rayleigh-corrected reflectance acquired by the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI). Compared with other existing cloud masking methods, we demonstrated that this improved method can identify the spatial positions and shapes of clouds more realistically, and more accurate pixels of turbid waters were retained. This improved method can be effectively applied in typical turbid coastal waters. It has potential to be used in cloud masking procedures of spaceborne ocean color sensors without short-wave infrared bands.