HR: 0800h
AN: OS41A-0170    [Abstracts]
TI: Fine Scale Structures in Space-Time Variability of Light and Temperature in Nearshore Coastal Waters
AU: * McDuff, M W
EM: mcduff@caltech.edu
AF: California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, United States
AU: Logsdon, M G
EM: mlog@u.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington School of Oceanography, Box 357940, Seattle, WA 98195-7940, United States
AU: Delwiche, L M
EM: ledel@u.washington.edu
AF: University of Washington School of Oceanography, Box 357940, Seattle, WA 98195-7940, United States
AB: We describe a method of measurement, analysis, and characterization of light and temperature variation at multiple spatial and temporal scales in the upper three meters of the nearshore water column. These waters exhibit complex thermal and optical properties due to variation in incident solar radiation, primary productivity, sediment transport, as well as variation in the periodicity and magnitude of wave and tidal dynamics. Our conceptual framework for the exploration of structure in the light and temperature space-time dynamics of this complex environment relies on the differences in the measurements of paired observations at fixed spatial and temporal lags. Three full spectrum light and temperature sensors were deployed vertically at six horizontal positions along a 30 meter anchored linear array in the inland fjords of Clayoquot Sound British Columbia for multiple days during the summers of 2006 and 2007. These sensors recorded a time series at 3 minute intervals providing direct paired observations at 15 spatial and 2000 temporal lags. Using Python scripts to define modular functions for computing and displaying the mean difference of each individual pair observation at each spatial and temporal lag, we construct a series of space time surface plots which illustrate iso-lines of similarity in the variation of spatial and temporal structure. The non-stationarity of these surfaces illustrates space-time processes in this environment operating within the 15 meter spatial and 100 to 120 minute temporal scales. We provide architecture for and an explanation of the analysis method as well as the graphic output used in this research.
DE: 3252 Spatial analysis (0500)
DE: 4217 Coastal processes
DE: 4264 Ocean optics (0649)
DE: 4277 Time series experiments (1872, 3270, 4475)
DE: 4899 General or miscellaneous
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting