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R/P-42
The study of phytoplankton dynamics in Chesapeake Bay by remote sensing of ocean color from aircraft
Principal Investigator:
Lawrence W. Harding, Jr.Start/End Year:
1997 - 2001Institution:
Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceTopic(s):
Description:
The objective of this research is to use ocean color data from aircraft remote sensing to determine the distribution of chlorophyll in Chesapeake Bay. We will use a combination of the data from aircraft overflights with two instruments, the Ocean Data Acquisition System (ODAS) and the SeaWIFS Aircraft Simulator (SAS III), with those from shipboard and satellite studies to assess the relationship of principal forcing functions in the Bay to seasonal and interannual variations in phytoplankton abundance. A series of 25-30 flights is proposed for 1997, spanning Iate February through October. This project represents a continuation of the regional remote sensing program we have developed in recent years, entails the use of a modified aircraft instrument with additional capabilities and the addition of a modeling component based on our work in quantifying long-term trends of chlorophyll in the Bay.
Related Publications:
Harding, LW; Magnusona, A; Mallonee, ME. 2005. SeaWiFS retrievals of chlorophyll in Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic bight. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science62(12):75 -94. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2004.08.011. UM-SG-RS-2005-06.
Roman, MR; Adolf, JE; Bichy, J; Boicourt, WC; Harding, LW; Houde ED, Jung, S; Kimmel, G; Miller, WD; Zhang, X. 2005. Chesapeake Bay plankton and fish abundance enhanced by Hurricane Isabel. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union86(28):261 -265. doi:10.1029/2005EO280001. UM-SG-RS-2005-20.
Adolf, JE; Stoecker, DK; Harding, LW. 2003. Autotrophic growth and photoacclimation in Karlodinium micrum (Dinophyceae) and Storeatula major (Cryptophyceae). Journal of Phycology39(6):1101 -1108. doi:10.1111/j.0022-3646.2003.02-086.x. UM-SG-RS-2003-18.
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Featured Fellow
Leone Yisrael is a cephalopod-loving scuba diver, cook, and loves to try new activities. She conducts genetic analysis and fieldwork at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center through the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab.
Featured Research Project
Developing a habitat model for mysids, an important link in Chesapeake Bay food webs
Mysids are important mesozooplankton prey for many species of fish in Chesapeake Bay and are an important link in transferring energy from lower to upper trophic levels. Mysids also serve as biological vectors for benthic-pelagic coupling due to their diel vertical migration and omnivorous prey-switching behavior, which makes mysids important regulators of food web architecture. Despite their central role in coastal food webs, surprisingly little is known about mysid ecology and dynamics in Chesapeake Bay.
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