Spatiotemporal Variability of Chlorophyll-a and Sea Surface Temperature, and Their Relationship with Bathymetry over the Coasts of UAE

Khalid A Hussein,Khameis Al Abdouli,Naeema Al Hosani,Dawit T Ghebreyesus,Hatim O Sharif,Pakorn Petchprayoon

doi:10.3390/rs13132447

Abstract

The catastrophic implication of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in the Arabian Gulf is a strong indication that the study of the spatiotemporal distribution of chlorophyll-a and its relationship with other variables is critical. This study analyzes the relationship between chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature (SST) and their trends in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman along the United Arab Emirates coast. Additionally, the relationship between bathymetry and Chl-a and SST was examined. The MODIS Aqua product with a resolution of 1 × 1 km2 was employed for both chlorophyll-a and SST covering a timeframe from 2003 to 2019. The highest concentration of chlorophyll-a was seen in the Strait of Hormuz with an average of 2.8 mg m−3, which is 1.1 mg m−3 higher than the average for the entire study area. Three-quarters of the study area showed a significant correlation between the Chl-a and SST. The shallow (deep) areas showed a strong positive (negative) correlation between the Chl-a and SST. The results indicate the presence of trends for both variables across most of the study area. SST significantly increased in more than two-thirds of the study area in the summer with no significant trends detected in the winter.

Highlights

IntroductionThis study analyzes the relationship between chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature (SST) and their trends in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman along the United Arab Emirates coast
Business Continuity Management & Integrated Emergency Management, Rabdan Academy, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Bangkok 10210, Thailand; Xiaofeng Li and Antony K
The spatial distribution of the long-term average of Chl-a concentration was unevenly distributed across the Arabian Sea

Summary

Introduction

This study analyzes the relationship between chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature (SST) and their trends in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman along the United Arab Emirates coast. Three-quarters of the study area showed a significant correlation between the Chl-a and SST. The shallow (deep) areas showed a strong positive (negative) correlation between the Chl-a and SST. SST significantly increased in more than two-thirds of the study area in the summer with no significant trends detected in the winter. The ecosystems of the Arabian seas (Arabian Gulf (thereafter AG), Gulf of Oman (thereafter GO), and Arabian Sea) are fragile, and susceptible to pollution Among these pollutants are algal blooms, red tide [1,2,3]. The main source of nutrients to the surface layer is the deep water, which is rich in nutrients [4]. The distinct direction of the summer monsoon from the southwest, which is almost parallel to the Oman coastline in the northern Arabian Sea, produces a published maps and institutional affiliations

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Conclusion