Synergistic analysis of SeaWiFS chlorophyll concentration and NOAA-AVHRR SST features for exploring marine living resources

Abstract

Near-synchronous Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) derived chlorophyll concentration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) derived sea surface temperature (SST) images were used to understand patterns, persistence and inter-relationship between ocean colour and thermal features. Different types of oceanic features were observed on chlorophyll concentration and SST images. An inverse relationship between chlorophyll concentration and SST features was observed. The features observed in the chlorophyll concentration images were well defined and appeared to contained more information than those on the SST images. The frontal zone positions on the chlorophyll concentration images coincided with temperature boundaries at some locations. This coincidence indicates that the physical and bio-chemical processes are closely coupled at these locations. High fish catch points were found in the vicinity of these features. A synergistic analysis of chlorophyll concentration and SST may increase our understanding of the inter-relationship between environmental variables for locating potential fishing grounds.