Satellite Optical Water Mass Classification to Map Coastal Hypoxia
2011
Gould, R. W. | Lewis, M. D. | Smith, R. D. | Ko, D. S.
We applied an optical water mass classification technique to estimate the areal extent of coastal hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Partitioned absorption coefficients (phytoplankton, sediment/detrital, and CDOM) derived from satellite ocean color imagery are coupled with a stratification index (surface-to-bottom temperature difference) derived from a circulation model. Optical properties (relative and absolute absorption coefficients) were extracted from a 10-year climatology of monthly satellite composites to define expected optical conditions of hypoxic waters, which were delineated by mid-summer ship surveys (LUMCON, 2009). Then, for a given year, the satellite-derived optical properties are compared to the expected conditions and coupled with the model-derived water column stratification index, to provide a real-time spatial estimate of hypoxia.
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