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Application of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard using Satellite-derived and Modeled Data Products for Pelagic Habitats in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Citation:
Allee, R., Jan Kurtz, R. Gould, D. Ko, M. Finkbeiner, AND K. Goodin. Application of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard using Satellite-derived and Modeled Data Products for Pelagic Habitats in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Ocean & Coastal Management. Elsevier, Shannon, Ireland, 88:13-20, (2014).
Impact/Purpose:
Assess the utility of satellite-derived products and modeled data for characterizing pelagic habitats in the absence of temporally and spatially dense in situ data
Description:
Satellite-derived data for sea surface temperature, salinity, chlorophyll; euphotic depth; and modeled bottom to surface temperature differences (Delta t) were evaluated to assess the utility of these products as proxies for in situ measurements. The data were used to classify surface waters in three regions of the Gulf of Mexico using subcomponents and modifiers from the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) Water Column Component (WC) to determine if CMECS categories could be affectively used to categorize in situ data into meaningful management units. Satellite-derived products and modeled data were averaged and assessed for each month over a five year period, 2005-2009. Sea surface temperature and salinity were classified into CMECS WC temperature and salinity subcomponent categories, respectively. Three modifiers from the WC were also used for the pelagic classification: water column stability, productivity, and photic quality. Delta t was to assign classification for water column stability; surface chlorophyll was used to determine phytoplankton productivity; and euphotic depth was used to indicate the level of turbidity. In order to validate the satellite-derived and modeled data, comparisons were made to in situ data from the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP). The satellite-derived and modeled data and the SEAMAP data were first displayed in ArcMap 10, and were then reclassified into CMECS. Visually, the satellite-derived products matched well with the SEAMAP in situ data. Statistical analyses of the satellite-derived and modeled data compared to in situ data indicated that the satellite-derived and modeled data were consistently different from the in situ data. However, once all satellite-derived and modeled data were reclassified into CMECS categories the degree of statistically significant difference decreased, i.e., CMECS categories were a much better match to the in situ data. CMECS-classified maps were evaluated as tools for characterizing pelagic habitats for management of fisheries and other marine resources.
