Satellite Remote Sensing and Biological Impacts of Climate Change: A Case Study of the California Mussel
Christel
Lopez
Purvis, University of South Carolina, USCgeogrl@gmail.com
(Presenting)
Venkat
Lakshmi, University of South Carolina, vlakshmi@geol.sc.edu
Brian
Helmuth, University of South Carolina, helmuth@biol.sc.edu
Studies of intertidal organisms have contributed significantly to the understanding of complex biological responses to climate change. The intense thermal stresses characteristic of rocky coastal settings facilitate rapid population shifts, causing these habitats to be especially susceptible to deviations in weather patterns. Traditional in situ measurements are confined to specific areas and often span short time periods. This study proposes the use of satellite remote sensing techniques to expand these highly important climate studies into regional-scale monitoring over longer periods of time. To test this application, study sites were chosen along the Pacific coast of the U.S. within the rocky intertidal zones of California, Oregon, and Washington. Data from in situ sensors are used as ground references, and are the result of an on-going 10-year study of Mytilus californianus conducted at the Univ. of South Carolina. Satellite imagery includes a compilation of ASTER and MODIS land surface temperature (LST) data sets, with resolutions of 90 m and 1 km, respectively. Preliminary results indicate that the MODIS data set is more effective at representing logger observations compared to the ASTER imagery. Further comparisons include the difference between the morning and afternoon MODIS overpasses (via the Terra and Aqua satellites, respectively).