195 research outputs found
The variance spectrum of phytoplankton in a turbulent ocean
Spatial heterogeneity of ecological variables is recognized as an important stabilizing factor for ecosystem function, but has proved to be a difficult concept to characterize in quantitative, operational terms. In the sea, however, chlorophyll concentration can be estimated by a continuous in vivo measurement, and used to describe the spatial structure of phytoplankton populations in terms of a variance spectrum in either wavenumber or frequency space...
Biogeography of northern Indian Ocean
Biogeography is defined as the branch of science that deals with the large-scale
distribution of flora and fauna in the context of environmental properties and topographic
features. Studies on biogeography in Northern Indian Ocean have been relatively few. These
lectures will survey the available literature, will mention as-yet unpublished work and will
discuss possible future directions for biogeographical research in the Northern Indian Ocean
Fisheries oceanography- Established links in the eastern Arabian Sea
Fish distribution along the western Indian coastal waters indicates a bias for pelagicplanktivores
to the southern coast and carnivores to the northern coast. Southwest coast of
India is an upwelling zone rich in
phytoplankton dominated by diatoms during
summer monsoon. The landing centre
observation data since 1985 clearly indicate a
dominance of Indian oil sardine (Sardinella
longiceps) in this upwelling zone. The
physiological activity of the fish is also tuned
to the arrival of summer monsoon
Recommended from our members
Size-partitioned phytoplankton carbon and carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio from ocean colour by an absorption-based bio-optical algorithm
The standing stock of phytoplankton carbon is a fundamental property of oceanic ecosystems, and of critical importance to the development of Earth System models for assessing global carbon pools and cycles. Some methods to estimate phytoplankton carbon at large scales from ocean-colour data rely on the parameterization of carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio, which is known to depend on factors such as the phytoplankton community structure, whereas other methods are based on the estimation of total particulate organic carbon (POC), and rely on the assumption that a known fraction of POC is made up of phytoplankton carbon. The carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio is also used in marine ecosystem models to convert between carbon and chlorophyll, a common requirement. In this paper we present a novel bio-optical algorithm to estimate the carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio, and the standing stocks of phytoplankton carbon partitioned into various size classes, from ocean colour. The approach combines empirical allometric relationships of phytoplankton size structure with an absorption-based algorithm for estimating phytoplankton size spectra developed earlier. Applying the new algorithm to satellite ocean-colour data from September 1997 to December 2013, the spatio-temporal variations of carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio and phytoplankton carbon across various size classes are computed on a global scale. The average annual stock of phytoplankton carbon, integrated over the oceanic mixed-layer depth, is estimated to be ~0.26 gigatonnes, with the size-partitioned stocks of 0.14 gigatonnes for picoplankton, 0.08 gigatonnes for nanoplankton and 0.04 gigatonnes for microplankton. The root-mean-square error and the bias in the satellite-derived estimates of picoplankton carbon, when compared with corresponding in situ data, are found to be 36.23 mgC m-3 and -13.53 mgC m-3, respectively, on individual pixels. The regional uncertainties in the estimates of phytoplankton carbon are calculated to be less than the relative uncertainties in other satellite-derived products, for most parts of the global ocean, and can amplify only for certain oceanographic regions. Although the new estimates of phytoplankton are of the same order of magnitude as those based on existing models, our study suggests that a consensus is yet to be built on the accurate sizes of the phytoplankton carbon pools; improved satellite chlorophyll products, and better estimates of inherent optical properties would be essential pre-requisites to minimising the uncertainties
Optical classification
Optical oceanography or Marine optics is the study of light propagation in the ocean
surface through absorption or scattering processes. Marine bio-optics is the term used
when the absorption and scattering by particles and dissolved substances are of biological
origin. Ocean color is defined as the spectral variation of the water leaving radiance that
can be related to the optical constituents present in the medium (Jerlov, 1976; Morel, 1974).
Visible Spectral radiometry or Ocean colour remote sensing is the study on spectral signals
of optically active materials using satellite observations. When sunlight reaches the upper
water column or the photic zone of the ocean surface, the light propagation is determined
by the optical properties of seawater
Special issue on remote sensing of ocean color : Theory and applications
The editorial team are delighted to present this Special Issue of Sensors focused on Remote Sensing of Ocean Color: Theory and Applications. We believe that this is a timely opportunity to showcase current developments across a broad range of topics in ocean color remote sensing (OCRS). Although the field is well-established, in this Special Issue we are able to highlight advances in the applications of the technology, our understanding of the underpinning science, and its relevance in the context of monitoring climate change and engaging public participation
Comparison of Seasonal Cycles of Phytoplankton Chlorophyll, Aerosols, Winds and Sea-Surface Temperature off Somalia
In climate research, an important task is to characterize the relationships between
Essential Climate Variables (ECVs). Here, satellite-derived data sets have been used to
examine the seasonal cycle of phytoplankton (chlorophyll concentration) in the waters
off Somalia, and its relationship to aerosols, winds and Sea Surface Temperature
(SST). Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration, Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT), ├Еngstr├╢m
Exponent (AE), Dust Optical Thickness (DOT), SST and sea-surface wind data for a
16-year period were assembled from various sources. The data were used to explore
whether there is evidence to show that dust aerosols enhance Chl-a concentration in
the study area. The Cross Correlation Function (CCF) showed highest positive correlation
(r2 = 0.3) in the western Arabian Sea when AOT led Chl-a by 1тАУ2 time steps (here, 1
time step is 8 days). A 2 ├Ч 2тЧж box off Somalia was selected for further investigations.
The correlations of alongshore wind speed, Ekman Mass Transport (EMT) and SST
with Chl-a were higher than that of AOT, for a lag of 8 days. When all four variables
were considered together in a multiple linear regression, the increase in r2 associated
with the AOT is only about 0.02, a consequence of covariance among AOT, SST,
EMT and alongshore wind speed. The AOT data show presence of dust aerosols
most frequently during the summer monsoon season (JuneтАУSeptember). When the
analyses were repeated for the dust aerosol events, the correlations were generally
lower, but still significant. Again, the inclusion of DOT in the multiple linear regression
increased the correlation coefficient by only 2%, indicating minor enhancement in
Chl-a concentration. Interestingly, during summer monsoon season, there is a higher
probability of finding more instances of positive changes in Chl-a after one time step,
regardless of whether there is dust aerosol or not. On the other hand, during the
winter monsoon season (NovemberтАУDecember) and rest of the year, the probability
of Chl-a enhancement is higher when dust aerosol is present than when it is absent.
The phase relationship in the 8-day climatologies of Chl-a and AOT (derived from
NASAтАЩs SeaWiFS and MODIS-A ocean colour processing chain) showed that AOTled Chl-a for most of the summer monsoon season, except when Chl-a was very high,
during which time, Chl-a led AOT. The phase shift in the Chl-a and AOT climatological
relationship at the Chl-a peak was not observed when AOT from Aerosol Climate Change
Initiative (Aerosol-CCI) was used
Sathyendranath S., Bracher A., Brockmann C., Platt T., Ramon D., Regner P. (2017) Colour and Light in the Ocean (CLEO) 2016: A Scientific Roadmap from the CLEO Workshop Organised by ESA and PML. Held at ESRIN, Frascati, Italy on 6 - 8 September, 2016.
The Colour and Light in the Ocean (CLEO) Workshop, organized by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) was held on the ESRIN, the ESA Centre for Earth Observations, at
Frascati, Italy on 6-8 September 2016. The workshop is sponsored through selected SEOM (Scientific
Exploitation of Operational Missions) projects, including: Pools of Carbon in the Ocean (POCO), Photosynthetically Active Radiation and Primary Production (PPP), Synergistic Exploitation of Hyper- and Multispectral Sentinel-Measurements to Determine Phytoplankton Functional Types (PFT) (SynSenPFT), and
Extreme Case-2 Waters (C2X). Additional partner projects of ESA are: Marine Photosynthesis Parameters from Space (MAPPS), a Pathfinder STSE (Support to Science Element) project; and Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI) through the CCI (Climate Change Initiative). The objectives of the workshop were to:
Evaluate state-of-art
Exchange information with other relevant projects and activities
Bring together remote sensing community, in situ data providers, modellers and other users
Explore applications in marine ecosystem models
Plan for the future:
Identify challenge areas and research priorities for future EO data exploitation activities
Discuss key science issues and make recommendations to strengthen community engagement
Shape ideas for potential new ocean-colour products to be developed in the era of the Sentinel-3 mission
The workshop was organized in five themes, developed around the activities of the sponsoring projects. Each t
heme had oral, poster and discussion sessions. The workshop attracted some 160 registered participants. The workshop served an important need to connect the community, to provide a forum for lively exchange of ideas, and to recommend priorities for future activities in a collective manner. The workshop brought together scientists working on development of novel products from ocean-colour data and the user community, including, notably, the modeling community.
One of the key outputs of the workshop is this report, which provides the Scientific Roadmap for future activities. Another planned outcome is a Special Issue on Colour and Light in the Oceans, to be published in
the Journal, which will highlight the major scientific results presented at the workshop. Each section of the report, dealing with one of the themes of the workshop, is self-contained, but cross-references to other sections are provided where appropriate. Some recommendations found common resonance across sections, such as the need for continuous, consistent, ocean-colour data streams from satellites for long-term monitoring of the marine ecosystem; the need for an integrated approach, bringing together the remote-sensing community, the in situ data providers and the modeling community; the need to promote development of novel products and advanced sensors; and the importance of providing high-quality and uninterrupted support to the user community, through easy and free access to data and products. Each section discusses the current state of the art, identifies user requirements and gaps, and priorities for research in the short and medium terms. The workshop served the important function of sounding the communityтАЩs aspirations, and presenting them in a concise manner for ESA, through this Scientific Roadmap. One of the recommendations from the participants was that CLEO workshops be organized on a regular basis in the future, to develop the ocean-colour community
, to promote exchange of new results and ideas, and to plan future activities.
We thank all workshop participants, keynote speakers, authors of the oral presentations and the posters, the Scientific Committee and the Organising Committee, and the Session Chairs for all their contributions to the workshop. For the logistical support and local organization and hospitality, we thank the ESRIN Graphics Bureau, Administration, Catering Service and the Events Office, especially Irene Renis, Anne Lisa Pichler and
Giulia Vinicola
Bio-Optical Properties of the Labrador Sea
Three cruises were conducted during fall and spring in the Labrador Sea to investigate the effects of bio-optical properties on satellite retrievals of phytoplankton chlorophyll in this important high-latitude ecosystem. Taxon-specific and regional differences were found. Diatoms had similar to 1.5 lower chlorophyll-specific absorption but significantly higher reflectance ratios than prymnesiophytes. Particulate absorption at 443 nm for total, phytoplankton, and detrital\u27\u27 fractions was related to chlorophyll, but values were lower than reported for lower latitudes. Decreased particulate absorption is attributed primarily to pigment packaging, while low backscattering to scattering ratios result from a lower relative abundance of bacteria and picophytoplankton with more large phytoplankton. Soluble absorption was not related to chlorophyll. A four-component model with low, variable backscatter fractions and the observed absorption coefficients for phytoplankton, detritus,\u27\u27 and soluble materials reproduces the measured reflectance spectra. Global chlorophyll algorithms tend to underestimate biomass at high latitudes, whereas regionally tuned algorithms provide more reliable retrievals. Taxon-specific algorithms show promise, but given limited ranges, small sample sizes, and overlapping reflectance ratios they remain premature
Satellite Remote Sensing Applications in Mariculture Activities
During the last two decades the marine fisheries sector in India has undergone considerable change. The
fishing fleet became larger and more energy-intensive, and the catch and trade of marine fishes increased
substantially. Concern arising from the increasing fishing effort and the potential for overexploitation in Indian
waters, led to scientific assessment of the status of several fish stocks. Consequently, attempts were made to
shift from open to regulated access fisheries through Marine Fishing Regulation Acts (MFRAs). However, conflicts
in sharing the limited resources intensified within and with other sectors and this, in turn, had high economic,
social and environmental costs (Vision 2050, CMFRI). Thus, in recent years, the sector recognized the need for
effective management for sustainable fisheries and a healthy marine environment through ecosystem approach
and habitat restoration. Success has been achieved in mariculture, raising hopes of producing a plentiful supply
of fish in future by farming marine fis
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