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Satellite-derived variability of the Aegean Sea ecohydrodynamics

Satellite-derived variability of the Aegean Sea ecohydrodynamics
Satellite-derived variability of the Aegean Sea ecohydrodynamics
Eight years of AVHRR-derived sea surface temperature (SST) and SeaWiFS-derived surface chlorophyll (Chl) data (1998–2005) are used to investigate key processes affecting the spatial and temporal variability of the two parameters in the Aegean Sea. Seasonal mean SST and Chl maps are constructed using daily data to study seasonal dynamics whereas empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and correlational analysis is applied to the 8-day composite SST and Chl anomaly time-series in order to study the variability and co-variability of the two parameters from subseasonal to interannual time-scales. The seasonal mean fields show that Black Sea cold and chlorophyll-rich waters enter through the Dardanelles Strait and they are accumulated in the north-eastern part of the Aegean Sea, steered by the Samothraki anticyclone. Large chlorophyll concentrations are encountered in the hydrological front off the Dardanelles Strait as well as in coastal areas affected by large riverine/anthropogenic nutrient loads. The SST seasonal mean patterns reveal strong cooling that is associated with upwelling along the eastern boundary of the basin during summer due to strong northerly winds, a process which is not present in the surface chlorophyll climatology. The Chl dataset presents much stronger sub-seasonal variability than SST, with large variations in the phase and strength of the phytoplankton seasonal cycles. EOF analysis of the anomaly time-series shows that SST non-seasonal variability is controlled by synoptic weather variations and anomalies in the north–south wind-stress component regulating the summer coastal upwelling regime. Mean SST and Chl patterns, and their associated variations, are not closely linked implying that Black Sea and riverine inputs mainly control the intra-annual and interannual variability of the surface chlorophyll in the Aegean Sea rather than mixing and/or upwelling processes.
Aegean Sea, SeaWiFS, Surface chlorophyll, AVHRR, SST, EOF
0278-4343
403-418
Skliris, N.
07af7484-2e14-49aa-9cd3-1979ea9b064e
Mantziafou, A.
7a9e122a-bae0-457d-8102-89925e7f1a77
Sofianos, S.
815ee3cd-92b0-4975-a312-6ca783dc2e6b
Gkanasos, A.
a10e0d48-87e7-48cc-9a34-fd6ddf02faae
Skliris, N.
07af7484-2e14-49aa-9cd3-1979ea9b064e
Mantziafou, A.
7a9e122a-bae0-457d-8102-89925e7f1a77
Sofianos, S.
815ee3cd-92b0-4975-a312-6ca783dc2e6b
Gkanasos, A.
a10e0d48-87e7-48cc-9a34-fd6ddf02faae

Skliris, N., Mantziafou, A., Sofianos, S. and Gkanasos, A. (2010) Satellite-derived variability of the Aegean Sea ecohydrodynamics. Continental Shelf Research, 30 (5), 403-418. (doi:10.1016/j.csr.2009.12.012).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Eight years of AVHRR-derived sea surface temperature (SST) and SeaWiFS-derived surface chlorophyll (Chl) data (1998–2005) are used to investigate key processes affecting the spatial and temporal variability of the two parameters in the Aegean Sea. Seasonal mean SST and Chl maps are constructed using daily data to study seasonal dynamics whereas empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and correlational analysis is applied to the 8-day composite SST and Chl anomaly time-series in order to study the variability and co-variability of the two parameters from subseasonal to interannual time-scales. The seasonal mean fields show that Black Sea cold and chlorophyll-rich waters enter through the Dardanelles Strait and they are accumulated in the north-eastern part of the Aegean Sea, steered by the Samothraki anticyclone. Large chlorophyll concentrations are encountered in the hydrological front off the Dardanelles Strait as well as in coastal areas affected by large riverine/anthropogenic nutrient loads. The SST seasonal mean patterns reveal strong cooling that is associated with upwelling along the eastern boundary of the basin during summer due to strong northerly winds, a process which is not present in the surface chlorophyll climatology. The Chl dataset presents much stronger sub-seasonal variability than SST, with large variations in the phase and strength of the phytoplankton seasonal cycles. EOF analysis of the anomaly time-series shows that SST non-seasonal variability is controlled by synoptic weather variations and anomalies in the north–south wind-stress component regulating the summer coastal upwelling regime. Mean SST and Chl patterns, and their associated variations, are not closely linked implying that Black Sea and riverine inputs mainly control the intra-annual and interannual variability of the surface chlorophyll in the Aegean Sea rather than mixing and/or upwelling processes.

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More information

Published date: 10 March 2010
Keywords: Aegean Sea, SeaWiFS, Surface chlorophyll, AVHRR, SST, EOF
Organisations: Physical Oceanography

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 365213
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/365213
ISSN: 0278-4343
PURE UUID: 83ce17dc-a256-47a8-a24d-b6bf8d53b5a8
ORCID for N. Skliris: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2473-2586

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Date deposited: 27 May 2014 16:24
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:39

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Contributors

Author: N. Skliris ORCID iD
Author: A. Mantziafou
Author: S. Sofianos
Author: A. Gkanasos

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