Biogeochemical Response of Apalachicola Bay and the Shelf Waters to Hurricane Michael Using Ocean Color Semi Analytic/Inversion and Hydrodynamic Models
Abstract
Hurricanes are increasingly being recognized as important episodic drivers in ocean biogeochemical cycling; however, spatiotemporal response of their impacts on coastal and estuarine ecosystems are limited. Hurricane Michael, which made landfall just west of Apalachicola Bay (ApB) on October 10, 2018 as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 250 km h(-1), caused widespread damage to the northwest Florida coast, and adverse effects on oyster reefs and water quality in ApB due to winds and coastal flooding associated with a strong storm surge. The impact of wind forcing and retreating storm surges on coastal and shelf biogeochemical properties remains, however, largely unknown. In this study, we use a combination of pre-hurricane field observations, ocean-color satellite imagery and the outputs (salinity, currents, sea surface height, and temperature) of a nested high-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamic model (NCOM) to examine the biogeochemical response of ApB and the surrounding shelf waters to Hurricane Michael. MODIS-derived optical proxies (e.g., absorption of colored dissolved organic matter or CDOM and particle backscattering coefficients) of dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) were derived for a series of clear-sky imagery (prior to and following the hurricane) using a combination of estuarine-tuned semi-analytic and empirical algorithms. Following the hurricane, spatiotemporal distribution of both DOC and POC in ApB and the nearshore coastal waters showed a strong response to storm surge, increasing river discharge, currents, and wind field
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 28, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1097012
Entities
People
- Bingqing Liu
- Christopher L Osburn
- Dong S. Ko
- Eurico J. D'sa
- Ishan D Joshi
- Thomas S. Bianchi
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory