Gregg, Watson: NASA GSFC (Project Lead)
Project Funding:
2012 - 2015
NRA: 2009 NASA: The Science of Terra and Aqua
Funded by NASA
Abstract:
Satellite observations from MODIS-Aqua provide an unprecedented opportunity to observe ocean surface properties in an integrated fashion. By assimilating satellite data products into a global coupled three-dimensional model of physical, biogeochemical, and radiative processes, we can potentially extend these remote observations to explore the fate and effects of light entering the oceans and its coupling with the ocean physics and biology.
We propose to assimilate water-leaving radiances from MODIS-Aqua into a coupled general circulation, biogeochemical, and radiative model of the global oceans. The model uses an ocean general circulation model for physical forcing, multiple phytoplankton and nutrient components for local source terms, and a complete cloud and atmospheric optically forced radiative transfer model to provide irradiance for growth. Recent results using two different assimilation methodologies have clearly established the benefits of ocean chlorophyll data assimilation from SeaWiFS. Here we intend to exploit the richness of MODIS-Aqua data products by assimilating water-leaving radiances, the core of ocean color derived geophysical products. The benefit of radiance assimilation is improved understanding of the propagation of light in the surface layer, helping to improve estimates of ocean primary production and heat transfer. These surface improvements will lead to enhanced estimates of light availability at depth, and concomitant changes in ocean density structure and circulation. Furthermore, since radiances emanating from the surface derive from the ocean’s optical properties, they contain information on optical state of the oceans. Our second scientific objective is elucidation of these optically active substances in the oceans, including phytoplankton functional groups, detrital materials, and colored dissolved organic matter. This latter objective is challenging, but the potential rewards are large, and may feed back into promoting methods for quantifying these substances from space. Or possibly this could lead to new sensor designs for maximizing retrievals of these potential new products. All validated results from this proposal will be made publicly available through the Goddard Earth Sciences-Data and Information Services Center (GES-DISC) using Giovanni, with errors and error-distributions fully described.
2011 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Poster(s)
- Interannual variation in phytoplankton concentration and community in the Pacific Ocean
-- (Cecile S Rousseaux, Watson W. Gregg)
[abstract]
More details may be found in the following project profile(s):
