Life Sciences Commons^™

Synergistic Use Of Remote Sensing And Modeling To Assess An Anomalously High Chlorophyll-A Event During Summer 2015 In The South Central Red Sea, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary, K. P. Manikandan, Mohamed A. Qurban, Michael J. Garay, Olga V. Kalishnikova

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

An anomalously high chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) event (>2 mg/m3) during June 2015 in the South Central Red Sea (17.5° to 22°N, 37° to 42°E) was observed using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data from the Terra and Aqua satellite platforms. This differs from the low Chl-a values (<0.5 mg/m3) usually encountered over the same region during summertime. To assess this anomaly and possible causes, we used a wide range of oceanographical and meteorological datasets, including Chl-a concentrations, sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), mixed layer depth (MLD), ocean current velocity and aerosol optical depth (AOD) obtained from different sensors and models. Findings confirmed this anomalous behavior in the spatial domain using Hovmöller data analysis techniques, while a time series analysis addressed monthly and daily variability. Our analysis suggests that a combination of factors controlling nutrient supply contributed to the anomalous phytoplankton growth. These factors include horizontal transfer of upwelling water through eddy circulation and possible mineral fertilization from atmospheric dust deposition. Coral reefs might have provided extra nutrient supply, yet this is out of the scope of our analysis. We thought that dust deposition from a coastal dust jet event in late June, coinciding with the phytoplankton blooms in the area under investigation, might have also contributed as shown by our AOD findings. However, a lag cross correlation showed a two- month lag between strong dust outbreak and the high Chl-a anomaly. The high Chl-a concentration at the edge of the eddy emphasizes the importance of horizontal advection in fertilizing oligotrophic (nutrient poor) Red Sea waters.

Coral Bleaching And The Effect Of Disturbances On The Damselfish Community On Lizard Island, Australia, Alejandra Munoz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Coral reefs are characterized by their dynamic ecological processes that supports a high diversity through the recruitment of marine species and temporal disturbances that can have positive effects on the system. In the face of global climate change however, coral reefs face intense coral bleaching and increased degradation as they may begin to have less time to recover between bleaching events in the near future. Little is known on the long term effects of coral bleaching and habitat degradation on reef fish communities and much less is known about the mechanisms that bring about changes to reef fish assemblages.

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Annual Summary Of Weather Data For Parsons, M. Knapp

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Annual Summary of Weather Data for Parsons, Kansas, 2016.

Weather Information For Tribune, H. D. Bond, J. Slattery

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

In 2016, annual precipitation of 19.97 in. was recorded, which is 2.07 in. above normal. Six months had above-normal precipitation. April (5.16 in.) was the wettest month. The largest single amount of precipitation was 1.91 in. on August 7. January, the driest month, only recorded a trace of precipitation.

Weather Information For Garden City, 2016, J. Elliott

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Precipitation for 2016 totaled 17.73 in. This was 1.51 in. below the 30-year average of 19.24 in. and followed two years of above normal moisture. April and July 2016 had considerably above average precipitation, causing good summer crop growing conditions. Rainfall diminished after July to 37% of the 30-year-average, resulting in dry conditions for fall wheat planting. Hail was not observed in 2016. Blowing dust was noted on two days in March. The largest daily rainfall events were 1.72 in. on April 16, and 1.68 in. on July 2.

Weather Reports For Research Field Locations, M. Knapp

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Weather Reports for Research Field Locations in Kansas 2016: Ashland Bottoms, Belleville, Colby, Conway Springs, Ellsworth, Hays, Hutchinson, Manhattan, McPherson, Perry and Scandia.