Abstract

To analyze patterns in marine productivity, harmful algal blooms, thermal stress in coral reefs, and oceanographic processes, optical and biophysical marine parameters, such as sea surface temperature, and ocean color products, such as chlorophyll-a concentration, diffuse attenuation coefficient, total suspended matter concentration, chlorophyll fluorescence line height, and remote sensing reflectance, are required. In this paper we present a novel automatic Satellite-based Ocean Monitoring System (SATMO) developed to provide, in near real-time, continuous spatial data sets of the above-mentioned variables for marine-coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico, northeastern Pacific Ocean, and western Caribbean Sea, with 1 km spatial resolution. The products are obtained from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images received at the Direct Readout Ground Station (located at CONABIO) after each overpass of the Aqua and Terra satellites. In addition, at the end of each week and month the system provides composite images for several ocean products, as well as weekly and monthly anomaly composites for chlorophyll-a concentration and sea surface temperature. These anomaly data are reported for the first time for the study region and represent valuable information for analyzing time series of ocean color data for the study of coastal and marine ecosystems in Mexico, Central America, and the western Caribbean.

Highlights

  • Ocean color products such as chlorophyll-a concentration and chlorophyll fluorescence, as well as sea surface temperature are parameters related to many oceanographic processes

  • For all the years examined, elevated concentrations of Chl-a around the frontal zone, using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Aqua monthly mean composite images and monthly mean climatology composites for 2002–2009 for the Chl_OC3 and SST parameters provided by Satelital de Monitoreo Oceánico (SATMO)

  • The new automatic, near real-time, operational processing system presented for the continuous monitoring of phytoplankton, SST, and other ocean color products, using MODIS images from Direct Readout Ground Stations (DRGS)-CONABIO (X-band), is oriented to analyze spatial and temporal variability of SST and Chl_OC3, as well as their tendency and possible connection with climatic phenomena

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Summary

Introduction

Ocean color products such as chlorophyll-a concentration and chlorophyll fluorescence, as well as sea surface temperature are parameters related to many oceanographic processes. It is possible to determine the impact of hurricanes on the surface layers of the ocean by analyzing changes in sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a (e.g., Platt et al 2005). Los productos del color del océano como la concentración de clorofila a y la fluorescencia de clorofila, así como la temperatura superficial del mar son parámetros relacionados con varios procesos oceanográficos. Los sistemas satelitales de observación en tiempo real son de suma importancia en los estudios del medio ambiente marino. La temperatura superficial del mar constituye un buen indicador del estrés ambiental y puede utilizarse para monitorear la salud de los ecosistemas marinos clave (e.g., arrecifes coralinos; Hu et al 2009). También es posible determinar el impacto de los huracanes sobre las capas superficiales del océano al Ciencias Marinas, Vol 37, No 2, 2011

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