TWENTY YEARS OF SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS DESCRIBING PHYTOPLANKTON BLOOMS IN SEAS ADJACENT TO GWAII HAANAS NATIONAL PARK RESERVE, CANADA

摘要

This study presents a summary of information derived from satellite imagery used to document the temporal variability in phytoplankton populations in seas within and adjacent to the proposed National Marine Conservation Area associated with the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site in northern British Columbia, Canada (GHNMCA). Because very few ship-based observations on phytoplankton exist for this region, we have explored the utility of satellite imagery in providing insights into the temporal variability at the base of the pelagic food-web. We have examined ocean colour images from the Coastal Zone Colour Scanner (CZCS; 1979-1985), and the Sea-viewing wide field of view sensor (SeaWiFs; 1998-2000), and imagery from processed NOAA weather satellite's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR; 1982-2000) to document the temporal variability in chlorophyll and brightness events in seas adjacent to GHNMCA. The AVHRR imagery indicates that large bright surface patches occur in most summers on the east coast but not the west coast of the GHNMCA. The bright patches originate from three main sources: Dogfish Bank to the north, Queen Charlotte Sound to the south, or from within the GHNMCA. The ocean colour data reveal large potential interannual variations in satellite-derived chlorophyll for three regions in the GHNMCA, and indicate that the Hecate region typically has the highest estimated chlorophyll. Seasonally, all three regions show a bimodal pattern in chlorophyll concentrations with a spring peak in April/May and a second peak in August/September. Few field samples exist to verify the phyotoplankton species or seasonal trends in chlorophyll identified by satellite sensors.