Preliminary assessment of eutrophication by remotely sensed chlorophyll-a in Toyama Bay,the Sea of Japan

Time series of the chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) observed by ocean color satellites from 1998 to 2009 were used to assess eutrophication in Toyama Bay, the Sea of Japan. An overall mean of Chl-a during the 12-year period was used to divide the study area into “high” or “low” Chl-a areas based on a reference condition of 5 mg m^?3. The annual maximum monthly mean Chl-a trend was estimated pixel-wise and its significance examined by the Sen slope test at a 90 % confidence level. By combining the level and trend of remotely sensed Chl-a, Toyama Bay was then classified into six eutrophication states: high-increasing, high-no trend, high-decreasing, low-increasing, low-no trend and low-increasing. Our study indicates that the combined use of both the level and trend of remotely sensed Chl-a can be an efficient method to preliminarily assess eutrophication of coastal waters after a quality screening process with level 2 flags and validation with in situ Chl-a data.     

Satellite and ship observations of Kuroshio warm-core ring 93A off Sanriku, northwestern North Pacific, in spring 1997

Synoptic ship and satellite observations were performed of the Kuroshio warm-core ring (KWCR) 93A and its adjacent waters, off Sanriku, northwestern North Pacific, between early April and late June 1997. The temporal and spatial distribution of chlorophylla (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature in the study area were analyzed using data from ADEOS Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) and NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). The objective of this study was to describe the temporal and spatial variability of the spring bloom and understand its relationship with the changes in the hydrographic structure of these waters in and around KWCR 93A. The maximum value of Chl-a concentration in the ring was less than 1 mg/m³ during April. The spring bloom in the ring occurred early in May and the relatively high maximum (>1.0 mg/m³) continued from early in May to mid-June. In late June, a ship-observed surface Chl-a concentration of less than 0.4 mg/m³ suggests that the spring bloom had already declined in and around KWCR 93A. Double spiral structures of warm and cold streamers appeared from late April to mid-May, which may have an influence on the occurrence of the spring bloom in and around the ring. In this episodic event, the warm streamer can maintain the available potential energy of the ring and the strength of upwelling around the ring. The cold streamer provided water with a high Chl-a concentration to the surface layer of the ring. In order to understand the temporal and spatial variability of Chl-a distribution in the ring, the behavior of the warm and cold streamers needs to be taken into consideration.     

Calibration and validation of the ocean color version-3 product from ADEOS OCTS

We present calibration and validation results of the OCTS’s ocean color version-3 product, which mainly consists of the chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) and the normalized water-leaving radiance (_nL_w). First, OCTS was calibrated for the inter-detector sensitivity difference, offset, and absolute sensitivity using external calibration source. It was also vicariously calibrated using in-situ measurements for water (Chl-a and_nL_w) and atmosphere (optical thickness), which were acquired synchronously with OCTS under cloud-free conditions. Second, the product was validated using selected 17 in-situ Chl-a and 11 in-situ_nL_w measurements. We confirmed that Chl-a was estimated with an accuracy of 68% for Chl-a less than 2 mg/m³, and_nL_w from 94% (band 2) to 128% (band 4). Geometric accuracy was improved to 1.3 km. Stripes were significantly reduced by modifying the detector normalization factor as a function of input radiance.     

Effects of plant roots on the soil erosion rate under simulated rainfall with high kinetic energy

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effects of herbaceous plant roots on interrill erosion using two herbaceous species: clover (Trifolium repens) and oats (Avena sativa). We developed a simple rainfall simulator with relatively high normalized kinetic energy (KE; 23.2 J m^?2 mm^?1). Under simulated rainfall, we measured eroded soil for 42 boxes with various amounts of aboveground and belowground biomass. Aboveground vegetation had a significant effect on the soil erosion rate (SER). We found a clear negative relationship between the percent vegetation cover (c) and the SER. In contrast, plant roots showed no effects on the SER. The SER was not significantly different between the boxes with and without plant roots under similar c conditions. Thus, plant roots could have less of an effect on the SER under higher KE conditions.

Editor M.C. Acreman Associate editor N. Verhoest     

Empirical ocean-color algorithms to retrieve chlorophyll-a, total suspended matter, and colored dissolved organic matter absorption coefficient in the Yellow and East China Seas

A bio-optical dataset collected during the 1998?C2007 period in the Yellow and East China Seas (YECS) was used to provide alternative empirical ocean-color algorithms in the retrieval of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), total suspended matter (TSM), and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficients at 440 nm (ag₄₄₀). Assuming that remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) could be retrieved accurately, empirical algorithms for T_Chl (regionally tuned Tassan??s Chl-a algorithm) in case-1 waters (T_Chl2i in case-2 waters), T_TSM (regionally tuned Tassan??s TSM algorithm), and T_ag440 or C_ag440 (regionally tuned Tassan??s or Carder??s ag₄₄₀ algorithm) were able to retrieve Chl-a, TSM, and ag₄₄₀ with uncertainties as high as 35, 46, and 35%, respectively. Applying the standard SeaWiFS Rrs, T_Chl was not viable in the eastern part of the YECS, which was associated with an inaccurate SeaWiFS Rrs retrieval because of improper atmospheric correction. T_Chl behaved better than other algorithms in the turbid case-2 waters, although overestimation was still observed. To retrieve more reliable Chl-a estimates with standard SeaWiFS Rrs in turbid water (a proxy for case-2 waters), we modified T_Chl for data with SeaWiFS normalized water-leaving radiance at 555 nm (nLw₅₅₅) > 2 mW cm^?2 ??m^?1 sr^?1 (T_Chl2s). Finally, with standard SeaWiFS Rrs, we recommend switching algorithms from T_Chl2s (for case-2 waters) to MOC_Chl (SeaWiFS-modified NASA OC4v4 standard algorithm for case-1 waters) for retrieving Chl-a, which resulted in uncertainties as high as 49%. To retrieve TSM and ag₄₄₀ using SeaWiFS Rrs, we recommend empirical algorithms for T_TSM (pre-SeaWiFS-modified form) and MT_ag440 or MC_ag440 (SeaWiFS Rrs-modified forms of T_ag440 or C_ag440). These could retrieve with uncertainties as high as 82 and 52%, respectively.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cochlodinium polykrikoides</Emphasis> red tide detection in the South Sea of Korea using spectral classification of MODIS data

To distinguish true red tide water (particularly Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms) from non-red tide water (false satellite high chlorophyll water) in the South Sea of Korea, we developed a systematic classification method using spectral information from MODIS level products and applied it to five different harmful algal bloom events. Red tide and nonred tide waters were classified based on four different criteria. The first step revealed that the radiance peaks of potential red tide water occurred at 555 and 678 nm. The second step separated optically different waters that were influenced by relatively low and high contributions of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) (including detritus) to chlorophyll. The third and fourth steps discriminated red tide water from non-red tide water based on the blue-to-green ratio in areas with lower and higher contributions of CDOM to chlorophyll, respectively. After applying the red tide classification (using the four criteria), the spectral response of the red tide water, which is influenced by pigment concentration, showed different slopes for the blue and green bands (lower slope at blue bands and higher slope at green bands). The opposite result was found for non-red tide water, due to decreasing phytoplankton absorption and increasing detritus/CDOM absorption at blue bands. The results were well matched with the discoloration of water (blue to dark red/brown) and delineated the areal coverage of C. polykrikoides blooms, revealing the nature of spatial and temporal variations in red tides. This simple spectral classification method led to increase user accuracy for C. polykrikoides and non-red tide blooms (>46% and >97%) and provided a more reliable and robust identification of red tides over a wide range of oceanic environments than was possible using chlorophyll a concentration, chlorophyll anomaly, fluorescence analysis, or proposed red tide detection algorithms.     

On the βSPEC Values of Galaxy Clusters During the Merger

Time-dependent, X-ray emission properties of merging subclusters of galaxies are studied by N-body + Hydrodynamic simulations. We consider rather idealized cases, in which two virialized subclusters with the same or different masses collide with each other, eventually merging into one bigger cluster. We find that the various observable quantities, such as the cluster temperature, T_g, the line-of-sight velocity dispersion of galaxies, σ₁, and the specific energy ratio, β_spec ≡ μ m_p σ /k_B T_g (where μ is the mean molecular weight in amu, m_p is the proton mass and k_B is the Boltzmann constant) are distinct in merging clusters from those in isolated clusters. When merging, especially, in addition to having large velocity dispersions, σ_l ≳ 2000 km s^-1, clusters will have large deviations of β_spec from unity; that is, β_spec ≳ 2.0 (or β_spec ≲ 0.5) when seen from the direction parallel (perpendicular) to the collision axis. Temperature profiles are the best indicator of merging process. The calculated temperature maps of merging clusters are compared with those of the observed clusters, such as the Coma cluster, A754, and A401/399 supercluster. These simulated features are in good agreement with what ASCA revealed. Further, we present rather unique features in the temperature profiles that can be caused by a merger (or an encounter) with a subgroup of galaxies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Variation of the photosynthetic electron transfer rate and electron requirement for daily net carbon fixation in Ariake Bay,Japan

Fast repetition rate fluorometry (FRRf) provides a potential means to examine marine primary productivity; however, FRRf-based productivity estimations require knowledge of the electron requirement (K) for carbon (C) uptake (K _C) to scale an electron transfer rate (ETR) to the CO₂ uptake rate. Most previous studies have derived K _C from parallel measurements of ETR and CO₂ uptake over relatively short incubations, with few from longer-term daily-integrated periods. Here we determined K _C by comparing depth-specific, daily ETRs and CO₂-uptake rates obtained from 24-h on-deck incubation experiments undertaken on seven cruises in Ariake Bay, Japan, from 2008 to 2010. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of variability of K _C and to what extent this variability could be reconciled with the prevailing environmental conditions and ultimately to develop a method for determining net primary productivity (NPP) based on FRRf measurements. Both daily ETR and K _C of the upper layer varied considerably, from 0.5 to 115.7 mmol e^? mg Chl-a ^?1 day^?1 and 4.1–26.6 mol e^? (mol C)^?1, respectively, throughout the entire data set. Multivariate analysis revealed a strong correlation between daily photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and K _C (r ² = 0.94). A simple PAR-dependent relationship derived from the data set was used for generating K _C, and this relationship was validated by comparing the FRRf-predicted NPP with the ¹³C uptake measured in 2007. These new observations demonstrate the potential application of FRRf for estimating regional NPP from ETR.