Co-Investigators:
Norman Nelson
Stephane Maritorna

Development and Application of the Next Generation of Ocean Color Models for the Understanding of Marine Processes on Regional and Global Scales

NASA, 36 months
 

PROJECT SUMMARY

Our proposal encompasses two distinct areas of research; the development of new ocean color "tools" and the analysis and interpretation of a biogeochemical - bio-optical time series in the Sargasso Sea. Each of these areas of research are continuations of NASA-supported work presently performed at UCSB.  Briefly, our two proposed research areas are:

* development and application of next generation of semi-analytical ocean color algorithms, and

* analysis, modeling and interpretation of the Bermuda BioOptics Project (BBOP) time series.

This proposal leverages on-going field work collected by the NASA SIMBIOS supported BBOP ocean color calibration/validation program as well as the NOAA-COP/ONR supported Plumes and Blooms field study of the Case II waters of the Santa Barbara Channel.  The two broad areas of research will insure that we will keep our focus on the global ocean color problems while remembering that these "global solutions" must work on regional scales.  Specifically, we will use a global optimization technique (i.e., simulated annealing) for determining the optimal model coefficients used in semi-analytical ocean color algorithms.  By comparing the results derived from global and regional data sets, we can assess the global validity of common ocean color assumptions.  We also may be able to make improvements in retrieval results by parameterizing regional differences in the retrieved model parameters.  In this way, we will develop "optimal" ocean color products from SeaWiFS, OCTS, etc.  Using the BBOP data set, our goals are to develop new methods by which biologically and biogeochemically relevant rates may be determined from space-sensed variables and to apply these methods to satellite data for addressing these fluxes throughout the Sargasso Sea.  It is our opinion, substantial progress in the application of satellite technology to ocean biology and biogeochemical processes requires the development and application of a new generation of ocean color tools.
 

David A. Siegel
Institute for Computational Earth System Science
Department of Geography
Univerisyt of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
tel: (805) 893-4547
fax: (805) 893-2578
davey@icess.ucsb.edu

Norman B. Nelson
Assistant Research Scientist
Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc.
Ferry Reach, St. George's
Bermuda GE 01
tel:  (441) 297-1880 x307
fax:  (441) 297-8143
norm@bbsr.edu

Stephane Maritorena
Institute for Computational Earth System Science (ICESS)
University of California at Santa Barbara
6841 Ellison Hall
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
e-mail : stephane@icess.ucsb.edu
tel.: (805) 893 25 44
fax : (805) 893 25 78