Forecasting the Coastal Optical Properties Using Satellite Ocean Color

摘要

Algorithms for ocean color bio-optical properties from space have advanced signifi-cantly in the last 20 years. Improved alogorithms have advanced beyond chlorophyll to characterize coastal optical properties such as absorption from phytoplankton, colored dissolved organic matter and detritus, in addition to backscattering from the particle distribution. These properties have provided new insights into the changing conditions along our coast. However, for many coastal management applications these satellite derived properties are insufficient to make real-time decisons (Arnone and Parsons, 2004). Daily satellite ocean color imagery represents a nowcast of bio-optical conditions. Although these near real-time bio-optical products can be made available within hours of a satellite over pass, they may be inadequate for opera-tions. In the coastal waters, changes are occuring within hours as a result of the tidal fluxuations, river discharges, precipation, and local wind events so that the nowcast of the bio-optical properties may not be representative of local conditions within the 24 h period. Real-time coastal decisons on processes such as: ·dissipation of a coastal plume, ·movement of a Harmful Algal Bloom, ·river plume dispersion, ·turbidity frontal movement, ·chlorophyll bloom dispersion, ·larval fish migration, all may require hourly forecast of bio-optical properties on a daily basis.