PHYTOPLANKTON & SOCIETY: Applications of

SATELLITE OCEAN COLOR MEASUREMENTS

Vivian LutzCONICET - INIDEP Argentina

Antares (www.antares.ws) ChloroGIN (www.chlorogin.org)

OUTLINE

• Brief background on Phytoplankton.

• How to improve the use of this information for the benefit of society?

Why pay attention to Phytoplankton?

• Appeared ~ 3 billion years ago and incorporated oxygen to the atmosphere. Allowed development of life on Earth.

• Today phytoplankton in the ocean produce about:– 50% of the oxygen on Earth– 50% of primary production

[~ 45 gigatons of organic C per annum]

Why pay attention to Phytoplankton?

If rain forests on land are considered a lung of the planet, phytoplankton in the ocean are the other lung.

Carla Berghoff

PhytoplanktonProduce new organic matter. Base of trophic webs in the ocean

sustaining the development of natural resources as fisheries.

Consume CO2 (and produce O2 ).

Act as a ‘biological pump’ taken up CO2 from the atmosphere into the deep ocean. Positive effect against ‘Global warming’.

Longhurst &Harrison (1989)

Pauly & Christensen (1995)

PPR for fisheriesPPR for fisheries

.. . . . . .... . . . . . . *. . .... ..*.*.*. *. *.*.*.*.

4

3

2

1

Top predators

Prey fish

Zooplankton

Phytoplankton

Tro

ph

ic le

vel

Source: © Glenn Gorick

Which type of Phytoplankton information is needed?

• Biomass (number of cells, carbon, chlorophyll-a, …)

• Production (rate of carbon incorporation)

• Diversity (taxonomic composition, Functional Types of Phytoplankton)

Ways to study the Phytoplankton in the Ocean

Field estimations– Main Advantages:

• High quality determinations of biomass (ground truth).

• Determination of biological diversity.

• Experiments to estimate physiological properties (e.g., rates of production).

• Measurements in the whole water column.

– Main Disadvantages:• Not enough spatial and temporal resolution.

• Expensive (ship time + scientific instruments and supplies + scientists and technicians).

Satellite estimations– Main Advantages:

• Chlorophyll (proxy biomass) at High spatial and temporal resolution (ideally world ocean daily).

• Cost-effective (initial investment produces tonnes of data for years).

– Main Disadvantages:• Can see only the surface of the ocean.

• Cannot see through clouds (only ~ 30% of the globe clear per day).

• Only bulk properties (e.g., Chlorophyll-a concentration -biomass)

• Quality of Chla determination ~ 33% (variable spatially and temporally)

• Present algorithms and spatial resolution have limited application in coastal / estuarine / inland waters.

Ways to study the Phytoplankton in the Ocean

Forests and Deserts in the Ocean

Applications of Satellite Ocean ColorHow does Phytoplankton enters the equation?

• Fisheries research

• Models

• Ecosystem Indicators

SAFARISocietal Applications in Fisheries and

Aquaculture Using Remotely-Sensed Imagery

• First workshop Halifax, Canada, March 2008

• Around 30 researchers – Report IOCCG Nº 8 ‘Remote Sensing in Fisheries

and Aquaculture’

(www.ioccg/reports_ioccg.html)

SAFARI (India 2010)Societal Applications in Fisheries and

Aquaculture Using of Remotely-Sensed Imagery

• 157 researchers

• 30 countries

• 44 oral presentations

• 47 poster presentations

Indian Example (Dr. Shailesh Nayak presentation)Indicative Features

• Identification of Features: Fronts (colour and thermal; Diverging and Converging)

FAX/Tel. Nodes Fishery Department Fishermen Associations Fishermen Central Institutions

Electronic Display Boards

Web Site (Text & Web-GIS)

Radio and TV (Doordarshan)

Information Kiosk

Information Kiosk

Message in Local LanguagesMessage in Local Languages SMS

E-mails

SST & Chlorophyll Images, PFZ line Coverage's and Multi-lingual Text Information

SST & Chlorophyll Images, PFZ line Coverage's and Multi-lingual Text Information

Local News Papers

Indian Example (Dr. Shailesh Nayak presentation) Dissemination of PFZ Advisories

Indian Example (Dr. Shailesh Nayak presentation)Outcomes

70 % success rate.

> 30 % saves fuel for locating fish.

If fishery resources are being over-exploited should there be satellite fishery forecasts?

Conserve spawning / nursery ground by not giving forecasts.

If fishery resources are being over-exploited should there be satellite fishery forecasts?

Conserve spawning / nursery ground by not giving forecasts.

Construction of time series possibleat any chosen scale of spatial averaging

(Presentation Zhai et al., SAFARI 2010)

Normalised Survival of Larvae as Function of Timing of Spring Bloom Peak

Platt et al., 2003

•Where number of haddock larvae and biomass of phytoplankton overlap, larvae have food supply adequate for survival•Where this is not so, larvae are vulnerable to death by starvation

CZCS (1979-1981)SeaWiFS (1997-2001)

Relationship between survival index and bloom timing

early late

Nova Scotia

Anomalies in the timing of bloom peak

R = 0.89

MODELS

• Biogeochemical

• Tropic web

• Physical-biological coupled

• End-to-end

[References: Murphy et al., 2012; Chassot et al. 2010; Barange et al. 2010; Badjeck et al. 2010]

Arg

entin

a

(Sea&Sky Project Database)

E. A. Vigilancia MarítimaBase Aeronaval Alte. ZarTrelew - ARGENTINA

(Sea&Sky Project Database)

• Study of variations in some trophic indeces between [1989 – 2003]

• Main outcome was to show a clear process of ‘fishing down the food web’

(Jaureguizar and Milessi, 2008)

Pauly & Christensen (1995)

PPR for fisheriesPPR for fisheries

.. . . . . ... . . . . . . . *. . .. .. . .*.*.*.*. *.*.*

.*.

4

3

2

1

Top predators

Prey fish

Zooplankton

Phytoplankton

Tro

phic

leve

l

(Taken from Barange et al., 2010)

Some R.S. IndicatorsSome R.S. IndicatorsIndicator Label Dimensions

Initiation of Spring/Fall bloom bi [T] Amplitude of Spring/Fall bloom ba [ML-3] Timing of Spring/Fall maximum bt [T] Duration of Spring/Fall bloom bd [T] Total production in Spring/Fall bloom bp [ML-2] Annual phytoplankton production PY [ML-2] Initial slope of light-saturation curve αB [L2] Assimilation number PBm [T-1] Particulate organic carbon CT [ML-3] Phytoplankton carbon Cp [ML-3] Carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio χ dimensionless Phytoplankton growth rate µ [T-1] Generalised phytoplankton loss rate L [ML-3T-1] Integrated phytoplankton loss LT [ML-3] Spatial variance in biomass field σB2 [M2L-6] Spatial variance in production field σP2 [M2L-4] Phytoplankton functional types NA NA SST SST C

(Platt and Sathyendranath, 2008, Remote Sensing of the Environment, 112:3426-3436)

Some R.S Indicators Some R.S Indicators

Indicator Label Dimensions Initiation of Spring/Fall bloom bi [T] Amplitude of Spring/Fall bloom ba [ML-3] Timing of Spring/Fall maximum bt [T] Duration of Spring/Fall bloom bd [T] Total production in Spring/Fall bloom bp [ML-2] Annual phytoplankton production PY [ML-2] Initial slope of light-saturation curve αB [L2] Assimilation number PBm [T-1] Particulate organic carbon CT [ML-3] Phytoplankton carbon Cp [ML-3] Carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio χ dimensionless Phytoplankton growth rate µ [T-1] Generalised phytoplankton loss rate L [ML-3T-1] Integrated phytoplankton loss LT [ML-3] Spatial variance in biomass field σB2 [M2L-6] Spatial variance in production field σP2 [M2L-4] Phytoplankton functional types NA NA SST SST C

(Platt and Sathyendranath, 2008, Remote Sensing of the Environment, 112:3426-3436)

How to improve the use of this information for the benefit of Society?

• Enhance Ocean Observations.

• Share information in open data-bases.

Enhance Ocean Observations

• ALL papers on modelling point out the sparcity and gaps in data. Claiming for more and better oceanic observations to validate and make more robust models.

• Need for satellite information (synoptic, high frequency, economic) and in situ data (high quality, biodiversity, rates).

Conference Statement In order to serve the needs of our nations and of the global community, We, the more than 600 Participants from 36 nations of the OceanObs’09 Conference in Venice,…

Informed by 99 Community White Papers, 47 Plenary Papers, and discussions captured in the Conference Summary, Call for significantly enhancing internationally-coordinated provision of sustained observation and information of the world ocean, ... ... An integrated system, making use of remotely sensed and in-situ observations is essential. Observations are openly shared in near-real-time when technically feasible. They are collected, analyzed, archived, and distributed to internationally agreed standards with agreed best practices.Despite the profound importance of marine information to meet the needs of our societies, the resources necessary to observe, assess and forecast global marine conditions are fragile and insufficient.  A true global partnership with strong local benefits requires involvement of all stakeholders. All nations must work together for mutual benefit, through educational programs and development of national capacity. Many organizations are playing roles to sustain and develop the ocean observing system. At the global level, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Council for Science (ICSU) ……. (CEOS) has helped coordinate a global response to needs. Nations have been urged to act on this GCOS Implementation Plan by the UN Framework

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). The WMO-IOC Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography …. (ICES) is committed to

…. The Census of Marine Life (CoML) is global network to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) …

Conference Statement In order to serve the needs of our nations and of the global community, We, the more than 600 Participants from 36 nations of the OceanObs’09 Conference in Venice,…

Informed by 99 Community White Papers, 47 Plenary Papers, and discussions captured in the Conference Summary, Call for significantly enhancing internationally-coordinated provision of sustained observation and information of the world ocean, ... ... An integrated system, making use of remotely sensed and in-situ observations is essential. Observations are openly shared in near-real-time when technically feasible. They are collected, analyzed, archived, and distributed to internationally agreed standards with agreed best practices.Despite the profound importance of marine information to meet the needs of our societies, the resources necessary to observe, assess and forecast global marine conditions are fragile and insufficient.  A true global partnership with strong local benefits requires involvement of all stakeholders. All nations must work together for mutual benefit, through educational programs and development of national capacity. Many organizations are playing roles to sustain and develop the ocean observing system. At the global level, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Council for Science (ICSU) ……. (CEOS) has helped coordinate a global response to needs. Nations have been urged to act on this GCOS Implementation Plan by the UN Framework

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). The WMO-IOC Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography …. (ICES) is committed to

…. The Census of Marine Life (CoML) is global network to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) …

Time Series

• Long term observations are key to follow changes in the ecosystems.

• The concerted effort from different countries in Networks of Time-Series-Studies is the best way to build the puzzle.

– Antares – ChloroGIN

www.antares.wswww.antares.ws

ANTARES In situ Time Series

Enhance Ocean ObservationsEnhance Ocean Observations

• EPEA • 38º 28’ S, 57º 41’ W.

• Started February 2000.

• Cruises on INIDEP-vessels• Frequency ~ monthly.

EPEA

Mar del plata

Miramar

Enhance Ocean ObservationsEnhance Ocean Observations

Now: more than a year without sampling….

Now: more than a year without sampling….

Remote sensing information processing and distribution

• System adopted was that developed at the Institute of Marine Remote Sensing (University of South Florida, USA)

• http://www.antares.wsHosted at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (México)

Enhance Ocean ObservationsEnhance Ocean Observations

Not in function since February 2010….

Not in function since February 2010….

Enhance Ocean ObservationsEnhance Ocean Observations

http://www.chlorogin.orghttp://www.chlorogin.org

How to improve the use of this information for the benefit of Society?

Enhance Ocean ObservationsSatellite estimationsMain Advantages:

– Chlorophyll determination (proxy biomass) at High spatial and temporal resolution.

– Economic (initial investment produces tonnes of data for years).

Main Disadvantages – Can see only the surface of the ocean.

– Cannot see through clouds (~ 30% of the globe clear per day).

– Only bulk properties (no diversity; no rates)

– Quality of Chla determination ~ 33%

– Present algorithms and spatial resolution have limited

application in coastal / estuarine / inland waters.

Issues to improve:

Better sensors (λ resolution, calibration,..)

New algorithms

(atmospheric corrections,..)

Refined modells

(PFTs, PP, …)

Issues to improve:

Better sensors (λ resolution, calibration,..)

New algorithms

(atmospheric corrections,..)

Refined modells

(PFTs, PP, …)

Ocean Color Timeline

past design life

NPP: NPOESS Preparatory Project

STOP workingApril 2012

STOP workingApril 2012

Still workingStill working

Already workingAlready working

C. Wilson SAFARI 2010(modified)

Data Management and Sharing• IMBER Data Management cookbook• Many National, Regional, International data-bases• GEOSS Data Sharing Action Plan

Difficulties• Lack of time and resources to implement an

appropriate data management protocol.• Field data is too costly; there is lag period necessary to

publish it first; this period varies (mainly with resources available in different places).

• Lack of time and resources to upload the data.

GRACIAS!

Build stronger interaction between scientific and social/economical/managers partners

Examples: St. Lowrence Global Observatory in Canada

(http://slgo.ca)

Produces forecasts on the health of the system using scientific oceanographic information (physical, chemical, biological…)

Antares Latin-American network, we have to start building these connections.