Citation:

Keith, D J. AND J. A. Yoder. ESTUARINE PHYTOPLANKTON PRIMARY PRODUCTION AND SIZE AS DETERMINED REMOTELY FROM AIRCRAFT AND COASTAL OBSERVATION. Presented at Coastal and Geo Tools 05 Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC, March 3-7, 2005.

Description:

We used remotely sensed estimates of chlorophyll a and sea surface temperature, incorporated into the Chesapeake Bay Productivity Model (Harding et al., 2002), to estimate the spatial and temporal variation of phytoplankton net primary production and species size in the Narragansett Bay (RI) estuary. Phytoplankton size was estimated based on the ratio of production-to-biomass, an approach observed in published studies from mesocosm experiments and field observations. From late May to October 2002, Narragansett Bay was generally characterized by a mean daily production rate of 0.74 (standard deviation = 0.1) g C m2 day-1 along West Passage and 0.47 ( 0.1) g C m2 day-1 along East Passage. These estimates were comparable to published C14 measurements from mesocosm studies of the bay. East and West Passages were generally dominated by mixed and netplankton (>20 um) size classes during the early summer period. Nanoplankton (<20 um) sizes were dominant along both passages during late summer into fall.

Spectral data obtained from passive remote sensing of estuarine and near coastal waters using low-altitude aircraft can be integrated with water column measurements from NOAA/ NOS coastal monitoring stations to predict phytoplankton biomass and productivity, as well as species size. We envision that data acquired from aircraft will be integrated into future coastal observing systems to monitor those estuarine and coastal systems, presently below the resolution of ocean color satellite platforms, at the temporal and spatial scales required to provide a strong scientific basis for environmental decisions.

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