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Group Leader:  Mary-Elena Carr

Objective:  The long term goals are to obtain four-dimensional analysis fields for the ocean based on satellite data and model output and to strengthen and maintain the relationship between the remote sensing community and the JGOFS science team.

Background:  Remotely sensed observations provide a unique contribution towards the objectives of JGOFS SMP because of their high spatial and temporal resolution. This can serve to validate model output beyond the capabilities of ship-board observations as well as helping to identify areas that are important but not well resolved by models (such as the polar regions and continental margins). Empirical numerical models are equally important to convert primary production estimates from satellite data into export production, the key variable for JGOFS SMP. It is recommended that the NASA Primary Productivity Working Group efforts (which aim to improve the estimate of total production from space) be made readily available to the JGOFS community.

Research fields that are "missing" or aren't solved yet include:

• an estimate of the role of the continental margins in global CO2 cycles
• pCO2 from space
• color CDOM to DOC
• export production estimates from space, e.g.,

- nitrogen budgets
- eddy activity and pumping
• piston velocity estimates from scatterometer
• identification algorithms for phytoplankton with differing biogeochemical needs, e.g.,

-Calcifiers (coccolithophores): discrimination algorithm exists
-Nitrogen fixers (trichodesmium): discrimination algorithm exists
-Silica users (diatoms): no discrimination algorithm yet, size-based?
-Junk species (red tides/phaeocystis/etc.): maybe?

• Improve availability to SMP community of relevant remotely sensed fields (e.g., light fields (PAR), diffuse attenuation coefficient (K_PAR), sea ice extent, sub-grid scale variance for "coarse resolution" (1-4deg) models);
• Encourage the merging of the various ocean color sensors via SIMBIOS;
• Ensure that remote sensing community is aware of availability of JGOFS field data for validation and assimilation;
• Expand bio-optical matchup data to include CO2 data;
• Encourage development of new algorithms to account for missing derived fields (listed above) needed to estimate biogeochemical fluxes.

Each NASA-funded SMP proposal is an Earth Observing System (EOS) Interdisciplinary Science (IDS) Team. It is important that we exercise our voice in the EOS community. It is recommended that we  ensure participation and visibility in upcoming EOS Investigators Working Group (IWG) meetings.

Attendees: Denis Nadeau, Harilaos Loukos, J. Keith Moore, Debora Iglesias, Dave Siegel, Paul Falkowski, Kevin Arrigo, Raleigh Hood, Chuck McClain, Ray Najjar, Dennis McGillicuddy, Marjy Friedrichs, Ralph Keeling, Mick Follows, Paulette Murphy, Kitack Lee, Toby Westberry, Dan Collins, Hernan Garcia, Rik Wanninkhof, Mary-Elena Carr

Data Issues:

• SeaWiFS DATA ACCESS: An effort was made for all SMP PIs to become authorized users. A password-protected site with monthly global images will be set up. (Chuck McClain is taking charge of this.)

• In answer to the issue of errors and uncertainties of SeaWiFS-derived chlorophyll concentration fields, Chuck McClain suggested consulting the Technical Memorandum series (available on the SeaWiFS homepage since launch), various analyses of match-ups to be provided on the web, and recommended an article (McClain et al. Science quality SeaWiFS data for global biosphere research. SEA TECHNOL 39: (9) 10-16 SEP 1998).

• COMPILE OTHER SATELLITE DATA SETS: We aim to provide monthly global average fields of OCTS (11/96-6/97), SST from Pathfinder (1984-present), TOPEX/POSEIDON Sea Level (1992-present), and wind vector (NSCAT, QSCAT) on a SMP-accesible web site. Links to the original data sources will also be provided. Mary-Elena Carr will speak to Joanie and help her get the data together.

• OTHER: Chuck McClain offered to set up a SMP Training class for SeaDas, the software used to process SeaWiFS imagery. (not needed if mapped images are sufficient for one's needs).

Various topics of interest were discussed and new collaborations initiated.

• Primary production from space: We discussed the round-robin activities. Ask Mary-Elena Carr for more information (mec@pacific.jpl.nasa.gov). Many groups are developing algorithms which can also be consulted (e.g. Dave Siegel and Toby Westberry).

• New production from space: Various efforts underway, primarily Ed Laws, Paul Falkowski, Ray Najjar, Ralph Keeling.

• Nutrient-SST relationships: An intriguing concept as it allows estimates of new and total primary production, also can utilize heat flux estimates from space. Talk to Dan Kamykowski, Ray Najjar, Ralph Keeling, M-E Carr.

• Reverse engineering approaches (given what we CAN measure, what can we learn?) Discussion took place with looking at surface roughness to better quantify air-sea exchange and the use of chlorophyll concentrations to strengthen the proposed pCO2 relationship with SST.

• Compound remote sensing: requires access to `interdisciplinary' data but has great potential for breakthroughs. Some examples are: gas exchange, new production, functional groups of phytoplankton, eddies, upwelling/Ekman pumping, sediment loading, etc.

• New products we are interested in: for example surface roughness from scatterometer.

• International JGOFS:

1.  Prepare a statement for Paul Falkowski to take to ESAC (NASA earth science advisory council) that underlines `Future studies/progress in biogeochemical understanding depends upon continuation of varied remote sensing (interdisciplinary) measurements of physical and biological processes.'

2.  A statement of support of the NASA SIMBIOS program that stresses

a. the importance of international cooperation, with free exchange of and access to data and algorithms
b. the need for a self-consistent long time series (which requires sensor `merging')
c. the requirement for more complete temporal coverage than can be provided by a single sensor (e.g. blooms)
• Prepare a list of data that we require for future progress. Some of the items on the list are available or soon will be, but perhaps at lower quality than we need (e.g. salinity) or are used in another discipline (e.g. dust deposition fields). This list can go to Jack Kay in NASA's Earth Science Enterprise:
 

atmospheric pCO2 dust (deposition, constituents)	mixed layer depth
atmospheric constituents	near real time ocean data assimilation
relevant trace gases	particle size distribution
rainfall	functional groups
salinity (what precision is required by DIC people?)	CDOM
fluorescence (MODIS limitations)

• Review paper on Satellites and Biogeochemistry.

AUDIENCE: General (i.e. terrestrial ecologists, CO2 community, ocean color community, global modelers)

FOCUS: What's been done (though not so much), emphasis on what CAN be done (potentials and limitations).  For example: CDOM maps, N2 fixations, DMS production, aerosols, export production, eddies, coccolithophorids

WHO: Lots of people (Hood, Subramanian, Falkowski, Loukos, Moore, and more). Instigators Dave Siegel and M-E Carr.
 

• This Working Group can be used to funnel feedback on SeaWiFS products from the JGOFS/SMP community to the SeaWiFS Project.

Group leaders:  Dave Siegel, Mary Elena Carr

Goals: Foster use of remote sensing data in JGOS by communication and data provision

Question: Do we best serve these goals by keeing the present working group struction or by infiltrating others?

                         ---------> Large-scale Datasets WG
                       /
                     /
    SatBGC-----------> Regional Testbeds WG
                    \
                      \
                        ----------> Continental Margins WG
 

Proposal:  "Kill the group."

Residual Tasks:

1. Facilitate data exchanges to SMP-DMO, 1x1 deg fields of:

SST/Scatterometer winds (Carr)
Chlorophyll (Yoder)
PAR (Siegel)

International JGOFS (Ducklow/Yoder)