Hurricane-Induced Phytoplankton Blooms: Satellite Observations and Numerical Model Simulations

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Hurricane-force winds have significant effects on the upper ocean. Hurricane-induced vertical mixing, entrainment, and upwelling bring up cold and nutrient-rich sub-surface water to the surface. As a result, sea surface temperature (SST) cools several degrees Celsius as the mixed layer deepens by tens of meters, and conversely, downward mixing of heat also warms the upper seasonal thermocline waters. The nutrient-rich water in the upper euphotic zone can also stimulate biological production and phytoplankton bloom. The potential impact of hurricanes on upper ocean physics and biogeochemistry is quite complex, and their observation and study have benefited greatly from ocean satellite remote sensing. The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) has been used for measuring SST for decades, and hurricane-induced SST drops have been reported (Price, 1981 and references therein). In comparison, the development of ocean color instruments onboard satellites observing ocean biological properties is relatively recent. With the advancement of satellite ocean color remote sensing from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-ofview Sensor (SeaWiFS) (Hooker et al., 1992) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (Salomonson et al., 1989) in recent years, hurricane-induced phytoplankton blooms have been observed and reported (Babin et al., 2004; Lin et al., 2003; Miller et al., 2006; Walker et al., 2005; Shi and Wang, 2007). The SeaWiFS, which has operated since August 1997, and MODIS on the Terra platform (December 1999–present) and Aqua platform (May 2002–present) have provided us a view of chlorophyll patterns and biospheres on global scales by using the advanced atmospheric correction algorithm for the data processing (Gordon, 1997; Gordon and Wang, 1994; IOCCG, 2010). For the global open oceans, both SeaWiFS and MODIS have been producing high-quality ocean color products (Bailey and Werdell, 2006; McClain et al., 2004), and these data have been used by researchers and scientists worldwide to study and understand the ocean’s physical, optical, and biological changes and their effects on climate processes, as discussed in Behrenfeld et al. (2001), Chavez et al. (1999), and others.