HR: 17:05h
AN: OS34A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Multi-Year Optical Variability in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Impact of Atmospheric and Oceanic Forcing
AU: * Gould, R W
EM: gould@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7333, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, United States
AU: Green, R E
EM: Rebecca.Green@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7333, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, United States
AU: Martinolich, P M
EM: martinol@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7333, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, United States
AU: Smith, R D
EM: regina@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: OTI, Code 7333, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, United States
AU: Townsend, T L
EM: townsend@nrlssc.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Laboratory, Code 7323, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, United States
AB: One of the main advantages of a data base of archived satellite imagery is the ability to examine consistent products over several years, to assess long-term variability. The distributions of bio-optical properties are influenced by atmospheric and oceanic forcing through local and remote processes. We examine the impact of winds, waves, precipitation, and river discharge on coastal optical properties in the northern Gulf of Mexico, to assess the response of the optical fields to the forcing. We also couple the ocean color imagery with a numerical circulation model (HYCOM), with the ultimate goals of improving our understanding of the linkages between the physical forcing and the optical response, and providing a short-term predictive capability (1-3 day time scale) for ocean optics. We have assembled a complete 5-year data base of ocean color imagery (SeaWiFS, MODIS) covering the Gulf of Mexico (2001-2005). We have reprocessed all the imagery with consistent atmospheric correction and bio-optical algorithms to produce a full suite of optical products, including remote sensing reflectances, absorption (partitioned) and backscattering coefficients, chlorophyll concentration, total suspended sediment concentration (partitioned into organic and inorganic components), and new optical water mass classification images. We have also constructed data bases of winds (from buoys in the northern Gulf of Mexico), rainfall (from the TRMM satellite), and river discharge (USGS stream flow data) corresponding to the time period covered by the imagery. We present quantitative, statistical, time-series analyses to characterize the spatial/temporal changes in the water mass optical properties over time and how they relate to the physical forcing in the northern Gulf of Mexico. A frequency analysis using monthly optical water mass classification images provides an indication of the expected seasonal spatial distributions of optical water types. We also present examples of predicted optical fields (derived by coupling ocean color imagery with the numerical circulation model).
DE: 4217 Coastal processes
DE: 4264 Ocean optics (0649)
DE: 4273 Physical and biogeochemical interactions
DE: 4275 Remote sensing and electromagnetic processes (0689, 2487, 3285, 4455, 6934)
DE: 4277 Time series experiments (1872, 3270, 4475)
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly