Estimation of sea surface nitrate from space: Current status and future potential

Sea surface nitrate (SSN) plays an important role in assessing phytoplankton growth and new production in the ocean. Field sampling of SSN data is important, but limited by data quantity both spatially and temporally. Satellite remote sensing can contribute through providing spatial and temporal data to such assessments. During the past 30 years many studies have been published focusing on SSN retrievals from satellites to a greater or less extent. In this study, we reviewed the progresses of SSN estimation from satellites in both open ocean and coastal waters. Because of the lack of electromagnetic properties of SSN, satellite retrievals of SSN were most realized by developing relationships between SSN and related environmental variables (e.g., sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface salinity), using traditional empirical regressions and novel machine learning techniques. We synthesized most of the peer-reviewed studies for both open and coastal oceans, in terms of study areas, model inputs, regression formulas, and model uncertainties. In general, regional SSN algorithms were most developed in coastal oceans with upwelling or river discharges. The published SSN algorithms had varying uncertainties with a wide range of 0.83-6.87 μmol/L, and the uncertainties were significantly reduced in recent studies, with more field measurements available and better understanding of the physical and biogeochemical processes in driving nitrate dynamics.

Analysis of bloom conditions in fall 2013 in the Strait of Hormuz using satellite observations and model simulations

In this study an algal bloom event in fall 2013 in the Strait of Hormuz was thoroughly investigated using satellite remote sensing and hydrodynamic modeling. The motivation of this study is to deduce ambient conditions prior to and during the bloom outbreak and understand its trigger. Bloom tracking was achieved by sequential MODIS imagery and numerical simulations. Satellite observations showed that the bloom was initiated in late October 2013 and dissipated in early June 2014. Trajectories of bloom patches were simulated using a Lagrangian transport model. Model-based predictions of bloom patches' trajectories were in good agreement with satellite observations with a probability of detection (POD) reaching 0.85. Analysis of ancillary data, including sea surface temperature, ocean circulation, and wind, indicated that the bloom was likely caused by upwelling conditions in the Strait of Hormuz. Combined with numerical models, satellite observations provide an essential tool for investigating bloom conditions.

Satellite Assessment of Bio-Optical Properties of Northern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Waters Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

The impacts of major tropical storms events on coastal waters include sediment resuspension, intense water column mixing, and increased delivery of terrestrial materials into coastal waters. We examined satellite imagery acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ocean color sensor aboard the Aqua spacecraft following two major hurricane events: Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on 29 August 2005, and Hurricane Rita, which made landfall on 24 September. MODIS Aqua true color imagery revealed high turbidity levels in shelf waters immediately following the storms indicative of intense resuspension. However, imagery following the landfall of Katrina showed relatively rapid return of shelf water mass properties to pre-storm conditions. Indeed, MODIS Aqua-derived estimates of diffuse attenuation at 490 nm (K_490) and chlorophyll (chlor_a) from mid-August prior to the landfall of Hurricane Katrina were comparable to those observed in mid-September following the storm. Regions of elevated K_490 and chlor_a were evident in offshore waters and appeared to be associated with cyclonic circulation (cold-core eddies) identified on the basis of sea surface height anomaly (SSHA). Imagery acquired shortly after Hurricane Rita made landfall showed increased water column turbidity extending over a large area of the shelf off Louisiana and Texas, consistent with intense resuspension and sediment disturbance. An interannual comparison of satellite-derived estimates of K_490 for late September and early October revealed relatively lower levels in 2005, compared to the mean for the prior three years, in the vicinity of the Mississippi River birdfoot delta. In contrast, levels above the previous three year mean were observed off Texas and Louisiana 7-10 d after the passage of Rita. The lower values of K_490 near the delta could be attributed to relatively low river discharge during the preceding months of the 2005 season. The elevated levels off Texas and Louisiana were speculated to be due to the presence of fine grain sediment or dissolved materials that remained in the water column following the storm, and may also have been associated with enhanced phytoplankton biomass stimulated by the intense vertical mixing and offshore delivery of shelf water and associated nutrients. This latter view was supported by observations of high chlor_a in association with regions of cyclonic circulation.