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Mediterranean Ocean Colour Chlorophyll Trends
Simone Colella1, Federico Falcini1, Eleonora Rinaldi1
1CNR-ISAC, Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Plos One
|June 4, 2016
Summary
Phytoplankton (Chl) trends in the Mediterranean Sea were analyzed using satellite data. Remote sensing effectively monitors marine ecosystem health and detects eutrophication, crucial for biodiversity and environmental directives.
Area of Science:
- Marine Ecology
- Remote Sensing
- Oceanography
Background:
- Phytoplankton forms the base of marine food webs and is vital for biodiversity.
- Human activities like pollution and climate change threaten marine ecosystems, leading to issues like eutrophication.
- Chlorophyll (Chl) concentration serves as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, essential for monitoring ecosystem health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compute chlorophyll trends across the Mediterranean Sea using satellite data.
- To assess the effectiveness of remote sensing for monitoring "good environmental status" and international regulations.
- To identify trends in coastal waters influenced by terrestrial nutrient inputs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized satellite data and a regional algorithm for chlorophyll concentration retrieval, differentiating between Case I and Case II waters.
- Applied the Mann-Kendall test and Sens's method to de-seasonalized monthly chlorophyll time series.
- Employed the X-11 technique for de-seasonalization and analyzed inter-annual variability of trends.
Main Results:
- Computed chlorophyll trends across the Mediterranean Sea with high spatial resolution.
- Identified intense trends in coastal waters, particularly those affected by river outflows.
- Demonstrated the consistency of observed trends with previous studies, supporting remote sensing's utility.
Conclusions:
- Satellite-derived chlorophyll trends provide an efficient and reliable method for monitoring marine ecosystem health.
- Remote sensing is a valuable tool for assessing "good environmental status" and the effectiveness of environmental directives.
- The study highlights the impact of human pressures on marine phytoplankton dynamics and eutrophication risks.
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