Algal Blooming in Regional Eddies due to Air-Sea Transfers (ABREAST)

The ABREAST project concerns the synergistic use of ocean colour and scatterometer winds, in order to assess the effects of air-sea interactions on algal blooming in different regions of the Mediterranean Sea. The comparison of (level 3) OCM-2 and Scatterometer data, composited at the monthly time scales, will allow to examine the coupling between phytoplankton growth and wind-induced vertical mixing of surface waters. The case studies to be considered comprise the Ligurian-Provençal Sea (where winter winds lead to deep convection that promote first nutrient upwelling, and then a sustained spring bloom, once the wind relaxes and stratification sets in), and the Levantine Basin (where upwelling due to Ekman pumping, within the cyclonic component of the wind-generated Rhodes-Irapetra vortex pair, also results in similar, if weaker, algal blooms). The chlorophyll concentration Level 3 GAC data products available so far (i.e. monthly composites from July 2010 to December 2010) do not cover yet the areas and seasons of interest. Continued monitoring of concurrent pigment concentration and wind speed, over a 3-year period, will improve current understanding of coupled biological and physical processes in sub-tropical seas. Further, comparing data from the OCEANSAT-2 mission and historical data sets from previous missions will allow to assess changes that might have occurred due to global warming (e.g. weaker blooming due to stronger stratification and consequent reduced nutrient input by vertical mixing, or again anticipated blooming due to an earlier onset of stratification).

BARALE Vittorio;  GADE M.; 

2012-05-23

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Space Applications Centre

JRC64233

http://www.mosdac.gov.in/oceansat2,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC64233,