Coupling of Atmospheric Forcing and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea: Multi-Sensor Observations of Selected Environmental Hotspots

The synergy between different kinds of satellite observations provides novel capabilities for studying the cause-effect relationship of coastal and marine processes. Multi-sensor observations of selected environmental hotspots in the north-western and south-eastern sub-basins of the Mediterranean Sea were used to quantify the coupling between wind patterns, surface temperatures and algal blooms. The study, conducted at the monthly scale from 2000 to 2007, uses wind speed from QuikScat data to image patterns of atmospheric forcing; surface temperature from AVHRR data to identify deep convection sites; and pigment concentration from SeaWiFS data to image the resulting pigment field. In the observed near-coastal areas, atmospheric forcing creates surface conditions that cause deep convective processes and consequent nutrient upwelling from deeper layers. As planktonic growth in the otherwise oligotrophic basin is always nutrient-limited, the blooms triggered by these processes reflect the prevailing wind patterns.

BARALE Vittorio;  GADE Martin; 

2009-11-23

European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC JRC)

JRC55127

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC55127,