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Relationships between near-surface plankton distributions, hydrography, and satellite measured sea surface thermal patterns

University of British Columbia

In-situ measurements of surface chlorophyll and zooplankton concentration are compared with in-situ hydrographic measurements and infrared satellite images of the west coast of British Columbia. Their relationships are quantified for a mid-summer and an early winter study period. Winter in-situ hydrographic data showed the shelf to be dominated by Vancouver Island Coastal Current water near-shore, Davidson Current water over the middle shelf, a frontal zone separating these regimes, and North Pacific water over the shelf break. The summer shelf was dominated by topographically induced upwelling in the southern portion of the shelf and stratified regions over the outer shelf and shallow banks further north. Strong northwest winds late in the summer study period induced upwelling along the entire shelf. The surface thermal signature of each of these regimes was identifiable in the satellite imagery. Maximum winter concentrations of chlorophyll and zooplankton were associated with Vancouver Island Coastal Current water and southern portions of the frontal zone. Davidson Current water consistently had the lowest chlorophyll concentrations in the winter study area. Zooplankton concentrations decreased with increasing temperature and distance from shore. The correlation of loge transformed zooplankton concentrations with surface temperature allowed the satellite imagery to explain 49% of the sampled variance. The association of specific chlorophyll concentrations with each hydrographic regime enabled the satellite imagery, in conjunction with an image derived salinity model, to explain 55% of the sampled variance. Image derived plankton models allowed a spatial representation of predicted plankton concentration and the model error. Summer zooplankton concentrations were not consistently related to satellite measured surface temperature but showed a qualitative association with higher chlorophyll concentrations around the outer edge of the upwelling area. Minimum chlorophyll concentrations were found in warm, stratified surface water and intermediate concentrations in the coldest, most recently upwelled water. Maximum concentrations occurred at intermediate temperatures. A least squares fit non-linear equation showed the satellite measured surface temperature patterns explained 72% of the sampled loge transformed chlorophyll variance. Distributions of both zooplankton and chlorophyll concentration retained their association with patterns of sea surface temperature during a wind driven upwelling event. Multivariate cluster analysis of zooplankton taxonomic groups during both winter and summer showed spatial patterns of community composition matched satellite measured patterns of sea surface temperature over the middle and inner shelf. Over the outer shelf, spatial patterns of community structure appeared more closely associated with depth than surface thermal patterns.

Text

2010-10-21

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/29440

Oceanography

University of British Columbia

Graduate