Summer Chlorophyll-a Increase Induced by Upwelling off the Northeastern Coast of Hainan Island, South China Sea

Abstract

There are generally high chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a) where upwelling is prevalent. High Chl-a is often observed in upwelling areas of the northeastern coast of Hainan Island during the summer. Using the satellite remote sensing data, including sea surface temperature, sea surface wind and Chl-a data from 2009 to 2022, we analyze the spatial-temporal and inter-annual variation of Chl-a on the northeastern coast of Hainan Island. Then, the possible influence of environmental factors on Chl-a are further examined by using satellite data, as well as Ekman transport and Ekman pumping velocity derived from the wind products. Finally, the key factors affecting the changes of Chl-a are discussed by correlation analysis. The results show the significant interannual variation of Chl-a in the region, with the maximum of summer Chl-a during the prevalent period of upwelling. The correlation analyses reveal that there is a higher correlation coefficient between the summer Chl-a and the upwelling index (i.e., upwelling regional temperature anomaly), suggesting the role played by upwelling in the summer high Chl-a is more important than the other environmental factors. It is speculated that the summer Chl-a increase is not only influenced by wind-induced upwelling but also by the upwelling caused by tidal mixing, large-scale circulation, topographic changes, and typhoon events.