Remote Sensing of Coastal Ocean Variability in the Gulf of Maine

Abstract:
Remote sensing of the coastal ocean provides one of the most cost effective methodologies to routinely quantify ocean dynamics and environmental variability. In addition to providing continuous, recurring sampling, it provides a large-scale synoptic view allowing local processes to be placed into a larger geographic and temporal context. When combined with ancillary biological and/or physical ocean measurements, the remote sensing data becomes one of the most powerful tools we have for monitoring variability in the ocean. Time series of satellite remote sensing data address variability a) on time scales from single events, to seasonal and interannual variability and b) on spatial scales from a few kilometers (e.g. the Penobscot Bay region), to the entire Gulf of Maine and adjacent North Atlantic. In this project, Marine Technology Funds are used to purchase computer equipment to support collection, processing and analysis of time series of sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean color satellite images. These will be first compared with field optical data, then used to measure upper ocean variability in Maine coastal waters and the adjacent Gulf of Maine to quantify dominant time/space scales of variability and map regions of similar and differing behavior. Two mutually supportive goals of the project are to: 1) acquire, process, archive and make available to other users NOAA AVHRR SST images and (to approved users) NASA SeaWiFS images the Gulf of Maine region and 2) provide an oceanographic analysis of these data quantifying the spatial and temporal characteristics of variability in phytoplankton biomass and SST, as well as the relationship between them. Specific MILESTONES are 1) the installation / configuration of the computer facility and 2) presentation to the Maine marine community of dominant modes of coastal variability.