Research Focus
Gulf of Maine Research–Current research with Andrew Pershing concerning the use of satellite data in modeling the growth of Calanus in the Gulf of Maine is funded through 2009.With the retrospective analysis work now complete, attention will turn to developing a near-real-time (NRT) operational tool that can eventually be handed off to NOAA marine mammal managers.The work toward an operational management tool will involve collecting and processing NRT satellite data, ingesting the data into an advection-diffusion-reaction model of Calanus population dynamics, and storing both satellite data and model output in a database management system that can be retrieved by NOAA managers via an intuitive web interface.
Ocean Eddy Impact on Surface Chlorophyll-I have a new 3-year NASA sponsored research project that will begin in January 2009.The research is directed at examining how ocean eddies and wind speed variability impact the growth of phytoplankton in subtropical oceans.Subtropical mesoscale eddies have been strongly implicated as an important mechanism for nutrient delivery to the euphotic zone to fuel new primary production.The new work involves identifying and tracking the movement of ocean eddies based on an analysis of satellite altimetry products.Wind forcing over the eddy region will be estimated using satellite scatterometry products. Chlorophyll response within the tracked eddies will be monitored using satellite ocean color products.Several theories will be tested using time series analysis of the combined satellite product suite.
