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Biogeochemical Response to Mesoscale Physical Forcing in the California Current SystemIn the first part of the project, we investigated the local response of the coastal ocean ecosystems (changes in chlorophyll, concentration and chlorophyll, fluorescence quantum yield) to physical forcing by developing and deploying Autonomous Drifting Ocean Stations (ADOS) within several mesoscale features along the U.S. west coast. Also, we compared the temporal and spatial variability registered by sensors mounted in the drifters to that registered by the sensors mounted in the satellites in order to assess the scales of variability that are not resolved by the ocean color satellite. The second part of the project used the existing WOCE SVP Surface Lagrangian drifters to track individual water parcels through time. The individual drifter tracks were used to generate multivariate time series by interpolating/extracting the biological and physical data fields retrieved by remote sensors (ocean color, SST, wind speed and direction, wind stress curl, and sea level topography). The individual time series of the physical data (AVHRR, TOPEX, NCEP) were analyzed against the ocean color (SeaWiFS) time-series to determine the time scale of biological response to the physical forcing. The results from this part of the research is being used to compare the decorrelation scales of chlorophyll from a Lagrangian and Eulerian framework. The results from both parts of this research augmented the necessary time series data needed to investigate the interactions between the ocean mesoscale features, wind, and the biogeochemical processes. Using the historical Lagrangian data sets, we have completed a comparison of the decorrelation scales in both the Eulerian and Lagrangian reference frame for the SeaWiFS data set. We are continuing to investigate how these results might be used in objective mapping efforts.
Document ID
20010108854
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Other
Authors
Niiler, Pearn P.
(Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, CA United States)
Letelier, Ricardo
(Oregon State Univ. United States)
Moisan, John R.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Marra, John A.
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2001
Subject Category
Oceanography
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-6375
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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