Comparison of in situ and remotely-sensed chlorophyll in two ecological important regions: the Antarctic Peninsula and the Patagonian Shelf-break

DOGLIOTTI, A.I.; GARCIA, C.A.E.; GARCIA, V.M.T

San Pablo, Brasil

Simposio; Simpósio Brasileiro sobre Pesquisa Antártica; 2008

Universidad de San Pablo (USP)

The Southern Ocean is a crucial component for understanding global phenomena, including atmospheric CO2 concentrations and exchange, biogeochemical cycling and modulation of climate. In the Patagonian shelf and shelf-break, regions which are strongly influenced by Antarctic ocean processes, frontal areas have been associated with intense ocean CO2 uptake in summer, where the highest surface chlorophyll concentrations (Chl-a) were associated with the strongest CO2 sinks (Bianchi et al., 2005). Remote sensing of ocean color can provide synoptic information on the distribution of Chl-a in these remote regions, such as high-latitude polar area around the Antarctic Peninsula and the shelf-break off Patagonia, where traditional data collection methods are scarce. There is a critical need to validate currently used remote sensing algorithms if a precise estimation of the oceans’ role in the biogeochemical cycle of carbon, specifically the importance of the oceans as a sink for atmospheric CO2, is desired. The objective of the present study is to compare the satellite estimates of Chl-a using a standard global algorithm in these two ecologically important regions of the Southern Hemisphere.