Preliminary Study on Phytoplankton Distribution Changes Monitoring for the Intensive Study Area of the Ariake Sea, Japan Based on Remote Sensing Satellite Data

Abstract—Phytoplankton distribution changes in the Ariake Sea areas, Japan based on remote sensing satellite data is studied. Through experiments with Terra and AQUA MODIS data derived chlorophyll-a concentration and suspended solid as well as truth data of chlorophyll-a concentration together with meteorological data and tidal data which are acquired 7 months from October 2012 to April 2013, it is found that strong correlation between the truth data of chlorophyll-a and MODIS derived chlorophyll-a concentrations with R square value ranges from 0.677 to 0.791. Also it is found that the relations between ocean wind speed and chlorophyll-a concentration as well as between tidal effects and chlorophyll-a concentration. Meanwhile, there is a relatively high correlation between sunshine duration a day and chlorophyll-a concentration. Keywords-chlorophyl-a concentration; suspended solid; ocean winds. I

Algicidal activity of the bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens SK09, to mitigate Stephanodiscus hantzschii (Bacillariophyceae) blooms using field mesocosms

The main goal of this study was to characterize mortality and trophic interactions of Stephanodiscus hantzschii (small centric diatoms) in the presence of an algicidal bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens HYK0210-SK09 (SK09) in outdoor mesocosm experiments with an extremely low temperature and also in direct application in a river. SK09 at an inoculation density of 5 × 106 cells/mL (Experiment 1) and SK09 cells immobilized in activated carbon polyvinyl alcohol sponge carriers (Experiment 2) did not appear to attack S. hantzschii in a species-specific manner at temperatures close to freezing. Furthermore, SK09 did not control the diatom blooms when SK09 cells immobilized in the carriers were directly applied in the river. The dynamics of both the heterotrophic flagellate and ciliate abundances showed similar trends to the activity of algicidal bacteria; moreover the heterotrophic protists could not control the total bacterial density. Inorganic nutrient concentrations and conductivity remained unchanged compared with those in the control group. The results obtained in this study and previous results are important for assessing biological control using algicidal bacteria in the wild

Improved MODIS-Aqua Chlorophyll-a Retrievals in the Turbid Semi-Enclosed Ariake Bay, Japan

The accurate retrieval of chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) from ocean color satellite data is extremely challenging in turbid, optically complex coastal waters. Ariake Bay in Japan is a turbid semi-enclosed bay of great socio-economic significance, but it suffers from serious water quality problems, particularly due to red tide events. Chl-a derived from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on satellite Aqua in Ariake Bay was investigated, and it was determined that the causes of the errors were from inaccurate atmospheric correction and inappropriate in-water algorithms. To improve the accuracy of MODIS remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) in the blue and green bands, a simple method was adopted using in situ Rrs data. This method assumes that the error in MODIS Rrs(547) is small, and MODIS Rrs(412) can be estimated from MODIS Rrs(547) using a linear relation between in situ Rrs(412) and Rrs(547). We also showed that the standard MODIS Chl-a algorithm, OC3M, underestimated Chl-a, which was mostly due to water column turbidity. A new empirical switching algorithm was generated based on the relationship between in situ Chl-a and the blue-to-green band ratio, max(Rrs(443), Rrs(448)/Rrs(547), which was the same as the OC3M algorithm. The criterion of Rrs(667) of 0.005 sr−1 was used to evaluate the extent of turbidity for the switching algorithm. The results showed that the switching algorithm performed better than OC3M, and the root mean square error (RMSE) of estimated Chl-a decreased from 0.414 to 0.326. The RMSE for MODIS Chl-a using the recalculated Rrs and the switching algorithm was 0.287, which was a significant improvement from the RMSE of 0.610, which was obtained using standard MODIS Chl-a. Finally, the accuracy of our method was tested with an independent dataset collected by the local Fisheries Research Institute, and the results revealed that the switching algorithm with the recalculated Rrs reduced the RMSE of MODIS Chl-a from 0.412 of the standard to 0.335

What natural and social scientists need from each other for effective marine environmental assessment: Insights from collaborative research on the Tomakomai CCS Demonstration Project

We propose actions to guide collaboration between ‘natural’ and ‘social’ science disciplines in marine environmental issues. Despite enthusiasm for interdisciplinarity on environmental issues, institutional and disciplinary barriers remain for interdisciplinary working in practice. This paper explores what natural and social scientists need from each other for more effective impact assessment in the marine environment. We reflect on collaboration between natural- (especially marine biology) and social scientists (especially environmental sociology) researching the Tomakomai CCS Demonstration Project in Japan; including subsequent expansion of the research team and wider evaluation of project outcomes. We identify two areas of mutual support: community and stakeholder engagement on marine monitoring; and identification of points in regulatory/policy processes where qualitative findings may gain traction alongside quantitative results. We suggest interdisciplinary collaboration for marine environmental research could be helped by making time to learn from each other within projects; and by working together more closely in the field