Casal, Gema and Cordeiro, Clara and McCarthy, Timothy (2022) Using Satellite-Based Data to Facilitate Consistent Monitoring of the Marine Environment around Ireland. Remote Sensing, 14 (7). p. 1749. ISSN 2072-4292

Preview

Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

As an island nation, Ireland needs to ensure effective management measures to protect marine ecosystems and their services, such as the provision of fishery resources. The characterization of marine waters using satellite data can contribute to a better understanding of variations in the upper ocean and, consequently, the effect of their changes on species populations. In this study, nineteen years (1998–2016) of monthly data of essential climate variables (ECVs), chlorophyll (Chl-a), and the diffuse attenuation coefficient (K490) were used, together with previous analyses of sea surface temperature (SST), to investigate the temporal and spatial variability of surface waters around Ireland. The study area was restricted to specific geographically delineated divisions, as defined by the International Council of the Exploration of the Seas (ICES). The results showed that SST and Chl-a were positively and significantly correlated in ICES divisions corresponding to oceanic waters, while in coastal divisions, SST and Chl-a showed a significant negative correlation. Chl-a and K490 were positively correlated in all cases, suggesting an important role of phytoplankton in light attenuation. Chl-a and K490 had significant trends in most of the divisions, reaching maximum values of 1.45% and 0.08% per year, respectively. The strongest seasonal Chl-a trends were observed in divisions VIId and VIIe (the English Channel), primarily in the summer months, followed by northern divisions VIa (west of Scotland) and VIb (Rockall) in the winter months.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	chlorophyll-a; phytoplankton; diffuse attenuation coefficient (K490); time series; temporal trends; ESA OC CCI;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Computer Science Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > Hamilton Institute Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > National Centre for Geocomputation, NCG Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units, ICARUS Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, MUSSI
Item ID:	17480
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14071749
Depositing User:	Tim McCarthy
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 13:34
Journal or Publication Title:	Remote Sensing
Publisher:	MDPI
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

Repository Staff Only(login required)

Item control page

Downloads

Origin of downloads