| MTCI Algorithm Specification | |
The Meris Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index
algorithm was developed by Dash and Curran (2004) for estimating chlorophyll content from MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) data.
The MTCI aims at estimating the Red Edge Position (REP). This is the maximum slant point in the red and near-infrared region of the vegetal spectral reflectance.
It is useful for observing the chlorophyll contents, vegetation senescence, and stress for water and nutritional deficiencies, but it is less suitable for land classification.
The MTCI results from the following equation:
MTCI = (IR_factor * near_IR - red_factor2 * red2) / (red_factor2 * red2 - red_factor1 * red1)
For Sentinel-2 the formula is:
(B6 - B5)/(B5 - B4), where (Central wavelength/Bandwidth): B6 = 740 nm (15 nm), B5 = 705 nm (15 nm), B4 = 665 nm (30 nm)
Also the processor computes an additional flags band called 'mtci_flags' with the following bit coding:
| Bit Position | Description |
|---|---|
| Bit 0 | The computed value for MTCI is NAN or is Infinite |
| Bit 1 | The computed value for MTCI is less than -1 (minus one) |
| Bit 2 | The computed value for MTCI is greater than Floating Point Maximum Value |