Remote sensing of the ocean primary production of the Abrolhos Islands region

Abstract

Traditionally measurements of carbon uptake at discrete locations have been used to obtain estimates of oceanic primary production. These methods by their very nature produce estimates of primary production only at specific points within a water body. Thus estimates of primary production at ocean basin scales requires extrapolation of in situ measurements via broad and very general assumptions regarding the spatial variation in water conditions. Research by Platt, Sathyendranath, Behrenfeld, Falkowski and others has shown that remote sensing techniques may be used to provide a means of obtaining ocean primary production estimates at basin scales. The techniques discussed by Behrenfeld and Falkowski have been applied to locally obtained SeaWiFS ocean colour data, AVHRR SST data, and estimated PAR data to carry out a study of the annual primary production cycle in the waters associated with Western Australia's Abrolhos Islands.