LAUSR

Abstract We present the “QAA-RGB”, a semianalytical algorithm that retrieves total absorption, particle backscattering, as well as the diffuse attenuation coefficient and the Secchi disk depth, from eighteen metre and decametre satellite sensors, including present and heritage Landsat's data, Sentinel 2 at 10 m and an array of commercial satellites such as PlanetScope, Pleiades and Worldview. The QAA-RGB is a minimal version of the Quasi-Analytical Algorithm (QAA), and therefore keeps its robustness and general validity across different water types. It ingests remote-sensing reflectance at only three bands, centred on red, green and blue wavelengths. Retrievals of non-water absorption at 555 nm (anw(555)) are satisfactory, with a standard deviation of σ ~ 50% up to anw(555)