From silk to satellite: Half a century of ocean colour anomalies in the Northeast Atlantic

• Published in: Global Change Biology
• Main Authors: Raitsos, Dionysios E., Pradhan, Yaswant, Lavender, Sam, Hoteit, Ibrahim, McQuatters-Gollop, Abigail L., Reid, Philip Chris, Richardson, Anthony J.
• Other Authors: Earth Fluid Modeling and Prediction Group, Earth Science and Engineering Program, Environmental Science and Engineering Program, Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), Prospect Place, The Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, United Kingdom, Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB, United Kingdom, Pixalytics Ltd, 1 Davy Road, Tamar Science Park, Derriford, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 8BX, United Kingdom, School of Marine Science and Engineering/Marine Institute, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL6 8BX, United Kingdom, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS), The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, United Kingdom, Marine Biological Association of the UK, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, United Kingdom, Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics (CARM), School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia, Climate Adaptation Flagship, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Ecosciences Precinct, GPO Box 2583, Dutton Park, QLD, 4102, Australia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Wiley 2014
• Subjects: Chlorophyll; Northeast Atlantic; Northern hemisphere temperature; Ocean colour; Phytoplankton variability
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/563507; https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12457

Changes in phytoplankton dynamics influence marine biogeochemical cycles, climate processes, and food webs, with substantial social and economic consequences. Large-scale estimation of phytoplankton biomass was possible via ocean colour measurements from two remote sensing satellites - the Coastal Zone Colour Scanner (CZCS, 1979-1986) and the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS, 1998-2010). Due to the large gap between the two satellite eras and differences in sensor characteristics, comparison of the absolute values retrieved from the two instruments remains challenging. Using a unique in situ ocean colour dataset that spans more than half a century, the two satellite-derived chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) eras are linked to assess concurrent changes in phytoplankton variability and bloom timing over the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. Results from this unique re-analysis reflect a clear increasing pattern of Chl-a, a merging of the two seasonal phytoplankton blooms producing a longer growing season and higher seasonal biomass, since the mid-1980s. The broader climate plays a key role in Chl-a variability as the ocean colour anomalies parallel the oscillations of the Northern Hemisphere Temperature (NHT) since 1948. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.