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R/E-24J
Discrimination of Phytoplankton Taxa in the Optically Complex Waters of Chesapeake Bay
Principal Investigator:
Greg SilsbeStart/End Year:
2020 - 2021Institution:
Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceCo-Principal Investigator:
Anna WindleTopic(s):
- Research Projects
Strategic focus area:
Healthy coastal ecosystemsDescription:
A spectral library of remote sensing reflectance for major phytoplankton taxonomic groups in the Chesapeake Bay will be developed using measured and modeled inherent optical properties as inputs into radiative transfer equations (HydroLight TM). The spectral library will be used to develop a phytoplankton discrimination algorithm in order to distinguish major phytoplankton taxa and sediment types in Chesapeake Bay waters. Hyperspectral remote sensing reflectance spectra collected from an unoccupied aircraft system (UAS) or the upcoming hyperspectral satellite mission, PACE, can be used as inputs to the algorithm to effectively quantify and map phytoplankton taxonomic-specific biomass. This proposed research has the potential to significantly improve decision making regarding water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
Funding Start Year
2020
Funding End Year
2021
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Featured Fellow
Nina Santos
Nina Santos is a Ph.D. student at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. For her dissertation, she is focused on small shrimp-like crustaceans called mysids – an understudied yet important part of many estuarine and coastal food webs.
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.
