From silk to satellite: half a century of ocean colour anomalies in the Northeast Atlantic

Raitsos, DE, Pradhan, Y, Lavender, SJ, Hoteit, I, McQuatters-Gollop, A, Reid, PC and Richardson, AJ 2014 From silk to satellite: half a century of ocean colour anomalies in the Northeast Atlantic. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12457

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Abstract/Summary

Changes in phytoplankton dynamics influence marine biogeochemical cycles, climate processes, and food webs, with substantial social and economic consequences. Large-scale estimation of phytoplankton biomass was possible via ocean colour measurements from two remote sensing satellites – the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS, 1979-1986) and the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS, 1998-2010). Due to the large gap between the two satellite eras and differences in sensor characteristics, comparison of the absolute values retrieved from the two instruments remains challenging. Using a unique in situ ocean colour dataset that spans more than half a century, the two satellite-derived chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) eras are linked to assess concurrent changes in phytoplankton variability and bloom timing over the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. Results from this unique re-analysis reflect a clear increasing pattern of Chl-a, a merging of the two seasonal phytoplankton blooms producing a longer growing season and higher seasonal biomass, since the mid-1980s. The broader climate plays a key role in Chl-a variability as the ocean colour anomalies parallel the oscillations of the Northern Hemisphere Temperature (NHT) since 1948.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	phytoplankton variability, chlorophyll, ocean colour, northern hemisphere temperature, Northeast Atlantic
Subjects:	Ecology and Environment Marine Sciences
Divisions:	Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Sea from Space (expired)
Depositing User:	Miss Gemma Brice
Date made live:	26 Mar 2014 14:09
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2020 09:56
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/5899

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