Newly found evidence of Sun-climate relationships

Solar radiation cycles drive climatic changes intercyclically. These interdecadal changes were detected as variations in solar total irradiances over the time period of recorded global surface-air-temperature (SAT) and have been restored utilizing Earth Radiation Budget Channel 10C measurements (1978-1990), Greenwich Observatory faculae data (1874-1975), and Taipei Observatory Active Region data (1964-1991). Analysis of the two separate events was carried out by treating each as a discrete time series determined by the length of each solar cycle. The results show that the global SAT responded closely to the input of solar cyclical activities, S, with a quantitative relation of T = 1.62 * S with a correlation coefficient of 0.61. This correlation peaks at 0.71 with a built-in time lag of 32 months in temperature response. Solar forcing in interannual time scale was also detected and the derived relationship of T = 0.17 * S with a correlation coefficient of 0.66 was observed. Our analysis shows derived climate sensitivities approximately fit the theoretical feedback slope, 4T(sup 3)

Role of Gulf Stream Frontal Eddies in Forming Phytoplankton Patches on the Outer Southeastern Shelf

Continuous surface mapping of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll along a 300-km segment of the Gulf Stream cyclonic front defined the spatial scales of a large diatom patch that persisted throughout a 10-day study. The patch was localized in the upwelled cold core of a Gulf Stream frontal eddy centered over the 200-m isobaths off Jacksonville, Florida, in April 1979. The µ g liter-1 surface chlorophyll isopleth enclosed an area \u3e1,000km2 with an alongshore dimension of 130km. Surface chlorophyll exceeded 5µg liter-1 within the upwelled cold core of the eddy, 10-100X higher than concentrations in Gulf Stream or resident shelf surface water. Diatoms dominated the patch with the maximum observed abundance \u3e106 cells liter-1. Several days after the initial shipboard mapping, the size, location, and strong chlorophyll gradients of the patch were confirmed with a surface chlorophyll image generated from an ocean color scanner (OCS) flown aboard a NASA U-2 aircraft. We show that the upwelling associated with eddies forming along the Gulf Stream cyclonic front results in localized zones of high near-surface production and plant biomass that lie adjacent to oligotrophic surface waters of the Gulf Stream

Ocean Chlorophyll Studies From a U-2 Aircraft Platform

Chlorophyll gradient maps of large ocean areas were generated from U-2/OCS data obtained over test sites in the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. The delineation of oceanic features using the upward radiant intensity relies on an analysis method which presupposes that radiation backscattered from the atmosphere and the ocean surface can be properly modeled by using a measurement made at 778 nm. The calculation of atmospheric radiance was performed by using a method developed by J.V. Dave. An estimation of the chlorophyll concentration is performed by properly ratioing radiances measured at 472 and 548 nm after removing the atmospheric effects. The correlation between the remotely sensed data and the in situ surface chlorophyll measurements has been validated in two sets of data. The results show that the correlation between the in situ measured chlorophyll and the derived quantity is a negative exponential function, and the correlation coefficient was calculated to be -0.965

Critical Reflectance

In previous works, a model which relates intensities to ground reflectance and aerosol scattering phase function was introduced as it is stored in the form of a simplified 3 by 3 matrix 1). And in a subsequent study, several atmospheres, in a range of optical thicknesses, were applied in search of a best fit model for a Landsat scene 2). In this paper, further refinement of the methodology to infer an optical thickness parameter, τ(Mie), by the use of "the critical reflectance " is discussed.</jats:p

Atmospheric Correction Algorithm of Real and Simulated Space Imagery Using Radiative Transfer Code

An image processing algorithm which can be used not only to simulate satellite mulitispectral imagery but also to derive surface reflectance from satellite imagery is being developed. In essence, the algorithm is a pixel by pixel modelling of the atmospheric radiance which can be either added to a simulated ground scene or subtracted from space data.</jats:p

An Ocean Atmospheric Radiation Computation Method For Remote Specral Measurement Data Analysis

An ocean atmospheric radiation computation method which determines the lower boundary ocean surface albedo and other radiation components from spectral measurements of upwelling radiance taken from a high altitude platform has been developed. The method was originally used to process multi spectral ocean color scanner data to determine the influence of chlorophyll in the sea on the ratio of upwelling radiance to downwelling irradiance as a function of wavelength. In order to measure very subtle color shifts in the blue-green region the effects of atmospheric radiation on the spectral channels have to be determined correctly. The analysis method can also be used to study atmospheric radiance over the sea by removing the water radiance component.</jats:p