Space–Time Variations in the Long-Range Dependence of Sea Surface Chlorophyll in the East China Sea and the South China Sea

Abstract

Gaining insights into the space–time variations in the long-range dependence of sea surface chlorophyll is crucial for the early detection of environmental issues in oceans. To this end, 12 locations were selected along the Yangtze River and Pearl River estuaries, varying in distances from the Chinese coastline. Daily satellite-observed sea surface chlorophyll concentration data at these 12 locations were collected from the Copernicus Marine Service website, spanning from December 1997 to November 2023. The main objective of the current study is to introduce a multi-fractional generalized Cauchy model for calculating the values of Hurst exponents and quantitatively assessing the long-range dependence strength of sea surface chlorophyll at different spatial locations and time instants during the study period. Furthermore, ANOVA was utilized to detect the differences of calculated Hurst exponent values among the locations during various months and seasons. From a spatial perspective, the findings reveal a significantly stronger long-range dependence of sea surface chlorophyll in offshore regions compared to nearshore areas, with Hurst exponent values > 0.5 versus <0.5. It is noteworthy that the values of Hurst exponents at each location exhibit significant differences during various seasons, from a temporal perspective. Specifically, the long-range dependence of sea surface chlorophyll in summer in the nearshore region is weaker than in other seasons, whereas that in the offshore region is stronger than in other seasons. The study concludes that long-range dependence is inversely related to the distance from the coastline, and anthropogenic activity plays a dominant role in shaping the long-range dependence of sea surface chlorophyll in the coastal regions of China.