REGIONAL STUDY OF SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE, CHLOROPHYLL AND AEROSOL CONCENTRATION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN USING MODIS DATA

摘要

Changes in environmental parameters such as sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration and aerosoloptical depth, need to be considered since they are believed to be directly related to climate change. A detailed studyhas been conducted to obtain several maps highlighting those areas presenting a greater variation. This way, aregional evaluation can be performed and the relationship between the three parameters can be assessed. In thiscontext, our work aims to analyse their impact in the North Atlantic Ocean (latitudes 15o to 45oN and longitudes 10oto 80oW). This area is one of the most sensitive to the effects climate change, so it is important to study the temporaland spatial changes of these parameters in order to predict their future variability. The remote sensing data used isprovided by the MODIS sensor aboard NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites, and covers the period 2000–2011.