"Ocean Weather" in the Gulf of Mexico: Exploiting Real-Time Satellite Ecological Properties and Circulation Models for Coastal Ocean Monitoring
Abstract
The fusion of real-time remote sensing imagery with numerical ocean circulation models provides a unique capability for monitoring the coastal ocean. A real-time ocean monitoring system is currently operating in the Gulf of Mexico. Dynamic changes in the ocean environment occur on scales of hours, days, weeks and years, which influence biological, ecological and physical processes. By monitoring these processes at different spatial resolutions, new enhanced capability is available to coastal managers and researchers for making decisions. Monitoring of physical processes and bio-optical responses are currently being done for the Gulf of Mexico. Open ocean eddies and loop current interact with coastal processes such as river plumes and tides and have significant impact on the biological and ecological processes along our shores. Until now we had no capability to routinely monitor these ocean conditions without insitu sensors and observations. Now the "weather" in the Gulf of Mexico is being monitored daily and provides coastal managers and researchers an edge in tracking or pin-pointing events. This information assists the decision maker in identifying how physical events are influencing the coastal ecosystem.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 20, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA513132
Entities
People
- Brandon Casey
- Callie Hall
- Dongshan Ko
- Juanita Sandidge
- Robert A. Arnone
- Sherwin D. Ladner
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory