Current Experiment Information
Hyperspectral Modeling of Harmful Algal Blooms on the West Florida Shelf
Coupling Simulated Ocean Reflectance to the Atmospheric Correction of Hyperspectral Images
Florida Shelf Lagrangian Flow Experiment | Ecological Simulation 2.0
Florida Shelf Lagrangian Flow Experiment
Flight Lines: July 2000 | November 2000 | April 2001
The study of oceanic remote sensing is based on the premise that knowledge of the surface water inherent and apparent optical properties (IOPs and AOPs, respectively) will allow for the vertical description of the optical and biological characteristics of the water column. A tremendous amount of effort has been expended to collect complete sets of IOP and AOP data, which would hopefully allow 'closure' between the optical properties and the remote sensing reflectance data. The closure between optical remote sensing data (aircraft or satellite), downwelling light, geometric structure of the underwater light field, water leaving radiance and direction, and inherent optical properties at specific sites is a necessary step in the usage of remote sensing data. The hope is that optical closure from a complete data set will eventually allow the development of algorithms that describe the optical, biological, and physical characteristics of the water column strictly from remote sensing data, e.g. inversion algorithms.
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Ecological Simulation 2.0
Each red tide occurrence of Gymnodinium breve costs an estimated $20 million dollars in economic damage, plus untold damage to the marine ecological systems through massive fish, bird, and mammal kills. The management of marine resources, e.g., closure of shell fish beds, in response to these outbreaks requires the ability to predict their occurrence. As the natural life cycle of G. breve occurs within an autotrophic community, predictions must incorporate the interactions of G. breve within a complete phytoplankton assemblage, not just the growth and mortality of G. breve. In addition, proposed mitigation of these blooms will require realistic numerical simulations that incorporate the dynamics of the entire marine ecosystem, in order to investigate possible deleterious feedbacks. It is hypothesized that the prediction of G. breve must include the competitive interactions amongst multiple phytoplankton populations for spectral light energy, as well as the competitive interactions for multiple nutrient resources. This work will develop a three-dimensional Ecological Simulation of the West Florida Shelf (EcoSim-WFS) that includes a hyperspectral model of coastal ocean optics. EcoSim-WFS will incorporate the competitive feedback mechanisms of phytoplankton spectral light absorption and scattering onto a realistic autotrophic ecosystem. The work will be a collaboration between Dr. W. Paul Bissett. Naval Research Laboratory and Dr. John J. Walsh, University of South Florida. It builds upon the currently funded NOAA/COP intensive study of harmful algal blooms on the West Florida Shelf (ECOHAB:Florida), and a NRL 6.1 Accelerated Research Initiative on hyperspectral coastal optics (Spectral Signature of the Littoral Zone). The model will be a enhancement of an existing Ecological Simulation (EcoSim 1.0) developed for oliogotrophic water.
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