The Ocean Ecology Laboratory (OEL) maintains an on-site Field Laboratory for biological, biogeochemical, and interdisciplinary ocean research. Through this laboratory, the OEL sustains a cooperative field program mandated with advancing state-of-the-art in- and above-water optical and biogeochemical measurements, which are critical for the calibration and validation of satellite radiometry and for refinement of ocean color algorithms, and working within a global network of partnerships where international expertise can be shared and distributed.