Ocean Colour Remote Sensing and Marine Optics

Ocean Colour Remote Sensing and Marine Optics

Water quality and phytoplankton dynamics in the complex coastal waters of Darwin  Harbour and surrounding shelf waters from ocean colour remote sensing data.

Partly due to the remote location and oceanographic complexity of the Northern Territory continental shelf waters, the sampling, conservation and management of the marine ecosystems of this region are severely limited by the lack of spatial and temporally explicit observations of bio-physical indicators.

Ocean colour remote sensing provides an unparalleled synoptic view of coastal surface waters and therefore can reveal ecosystem-wide spatial and temporal patterns in water quality and algal blooms.

The aim of this research is to use ocean colour remote sensing data from the NASA-MODIS and ESA-MERIS sensors to assess changes in water quality (suspended sediments, Chlorophyll, organic matter,…) and phytoplankton bloom dynamics in the complex coastal waters of Darwin Harbour and the Van Diemen Gulf.