ALBERT

Description: The Ocean Color component of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-OC) has been implemented to support long-term satellite ocean color investigations through cross-site consistent and accurate measurements collected by autonomous radiometer systems deployed on offshore fixed platforms. The ultimate purpose of AERONET-OC is the production of standardized measurements performed at different sites with identical measuring systems and protocols, calibrated using a single reference source and method, and processed with the same code. The AERONET-OC primary data product is the normalized water leaving radiance determined at center-wavelengths of interest for satellite ocean color applications, with an uncertainty lower than 5% in the blue-green spectral regions and higher than 8% in the red. Measurements collected at 6 sites counting the northern Adriatic Sea, the Baltic Proper, the Gulf of Finland, the Persian Gulf, and, the northern and southern margins of the Middle Atlantic Bay, have shown the capability of producing quality assured data over a wide range of bio-optical conditions including Case-2 yellow substance- and sedimentdominated waters. This work briefly introduces network elements like: deployment sites, measurement method, instrument calibration, processing scheme, quality-assurance, uncertainties, data archive and products accessibility. Emphases is given to those elements which underline the network strengths (i.e., mostly standardization of any network element) and its weaknesses (i.e., the use of consolidated, but old-fashioned technology). The work also addresses the application of AERONET-OC data to the validation of primary satellite radiometric products over a variety of complex coastal waters and finally provides elements for the identification of new deployment sites most suitable to support satellite ocean color missions.

Description: Phytoplankton photosynthesis in the sun lit upper layer of the global ocean is the overwhelmingly dominant source of organic matter that fuels marine ecosystems. Phytoplankton contribute roughly half of the global (land and ocean) net primary production (NPP; gross photosynthesis minus plant respiration) and phytoplankton carbon fixation is the primary conduit through which atmospheric CO2 concentrations interact with the ocean s carbon cycle. Phytoplankton productivity depends on the availability of sunlight, macronutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorous), and micronutrients (e.g., iron), and thus is sensitive to climate-driven changes in the delivery of these resources to the euphotic zone

Description: Fixation of organic carbon by phytoplankton is the foundation of nearly all open-ocean ecosystems and a critical part of the global carbon cycle. But quantification and validation of ocean primary productivity at large scale remains a major challenge, due to limited coverage of ship-based measurements and the difficulty of validating diverse measurement techniques. Accurate primary productivity measurements from autonomous platforms would be highly desirable, due to much greater potential coverage. In pursuit of this goal we estimate gross primary productivity over two months in the springtime North Atlantic from an autonomous Lagrangian float using diel cycles of particulate organic carbon derived from optical beam attenuation. We test method precision and accuracy by comparison against entirely independent estimates from a locally parameterized model based on chlorophyll a and light measurements from the same float. During nutrient replete conditions (80% of the study period), we obtain strong relative agreement between the independent methods across an order of magnitude of productivities (r(sq.)=0.97), with slight under-estimation by the diel cycles method (-19+/-5 %). At the end of the diatom bloom, this relative difference increases to -58 % for a six-day period, likely a response to SiO4 limitation, which is not included in the model. In addition, we estimate gross oxygen productivity from O2 diel cycles and find strong correlation with diel cycles-based gross primary productivity over the entire deployment, providing further qualitative support to both methods. Finally, simultaneous estimates of net community productivity, carbon export and particle size suggest that bloom growth is halted by a combination of reduced productivity due to SiO4 limitation and increased export efficiency due to rapid aggregation. After the diatom bloom, high chlorophyll a normalized productivity indicates that low net growth during this period is due to increased heterotrophic respiration and not nutrient limitation. These findings represent a significant advance in the accuracy and completeness of upper ocean carbon cycle measurements from an autonomous platform.

Description: NASA's projects for the Mississippi River Coastal Margin Study include Mississippi River Interdisciplinary Research (MiRIR) and NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). These projects, undertaken with the help of Tulane University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) sampled water in the Gulf of Mexico to measure colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). This viewgraph presentation contains images of each program's sampling strategy and equipment.

Description: The accurate determination of upper ocean apparent optical properties (AOPs) is essential for the vicarious calibration of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument and the validation of the derived data products. To evaluate the importance of data analysis methods upon derived AOP values, the Second Data Analysis Round Robin (DARR-00) activity was planned during the latter half of 1999 and executed during March 2000. The focus of the study was the intercomparison of several standard AOP parameters: (1) the upwelled radiance immediately below the sea surface, L(sub u)(0(-),lambda); (2) the downward irradiance immediately below the sea surface, E(sub d)(0(-),lambda); (3) the diffuse attenuation coefficients from the upwelling radiance and the downward irradiance profiles, L(sub L)(lambda) and K(sub d)(lambda), respectively; (4) the incident solar irradiance immediately above the sea surface, E(sub d)(0(+),lambda); (5) the remote sensing reflectance, R(sub rs)(lambda); (6) the normalized water-leaving radiance, [L(sub W)(lambda)](sub N); (7) the upward irradiance immediately below the sea surface, E(sub u)(0(-)), which is used with the upwelled radiance to derive the nadir Q-factor immediately below the sea surface, Q(sub n)(0(-),lambda); and (8) ancillary parameters like the solar zenith angle, theta, and the total chlorophyll concentration, C(sub Ta), derived from the optical data through statistical algorithms. In the results reported here, different methodologies from three research groups were applied to an identical set of 40 multispectral casts in order to evaluate the degree to which differences in data analysis methods influence AOP estimation, and whether any general improvements can be made. The overall results of DARR-00 are presented in Chapter 1 and the individual methods used by the three groups and their data processors are presented in Chapters 2-4.

Description: This report presents the Bouee pour l'acquisition de Series Optiques a Long Terme (BOUSSOLE) project, the primary objectives of which are to provide a long-term time series of optical properties in support of a) calibration and validation activities associated with satellite ocean color missions, and b) bio-optical research in oceanic waters. The following are included in the report: 1) an introduction to the rationale for establishing the project; 2) a definition of vicarious calibration and the specific requirements attached to it; 3) the organization of the project and the characteristics of the measurement site--in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea; 4) a qualitative overview of the collected data; 5) details about the buoy that was specifically designed and built for this project; 6) data collection protocols and data processing techniques; 7) a quantitative summary of the collected data, and a discussion of some sample results, including match-up analyses for the currently operational ocean color sensors, namely MERIS, SeaWiFS, and MODIS; and 8) preliminary results of the vicarious radiometric calibration of MERIS, including a tentative uncertainty budget. The results of this match-up analysis allow performance comparisons of various ocean color sensors to be performed, demonstrating the ability of the BOUSSOLE activity, i.e., combining a dedicated platform and commercial-off-the-shelf instrumentation, to provide data qualified to monitor the quality of ocean color products on the long term.

Description: During the passage of a cold front in March 2002, bio-optical properties examined in coastal waters impacted by the Mississippi River indicated westward advective flows and increasing river discharge containing a larger nonalgal particle content contributed significantly to surface optical variability. A comparison of seasonal data from three cruises indicated spectral models of absorption and scattering to be generally consistent with other coastal environments, while their parameterization in terms of chlorophyll a concentration (Chl) showed seasonal variability. The exponential slope of the colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) averaged 0.0161 plus or minus 0.00054 per nanometer, and for nonalgal absorption it averaged 0.011 per nanometer with deviations from general trends observed due to anomalous water properties. Although the phytoplankton specific absorption coefficients varied over a wide range (0.02 to 0.1 square meters (mg Chl) sup -1)) being higher in offshore surface waters, values of phytoplankton absorption spectra at the SeaWiFS wavebands were highly correlated to modeled values. The normalized scattering spectral shapes and the mean spectrum were in agreement to observations in other coastal waters, while the backscattering ratios were on average lower in phytoplankton dominated surface waters (0.0101 plus or minus 0.002) and higher in near-bottom waters (0.0191 plus or minus 0.0045) with low Chl. Average percent differences in remote sensing reflectance R (sub rs) derived form modeled and in-eater radiometric measurements were highest in the blue wavebands (52%) and at sampling stations with a ore stratified water column. Estimates of Chl and CDOM absorption derived from SeaWiFS images generated using regional empirical algorithms were highly correlated to in situ data.

Description: The Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) is operated by NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research as part of its Coral Reef Watch program in response to the deteriorating global state of coral reef and related benthic ecosystems. In addition to sea surface temperatures (SSTs), the two most important parameters used by the CREWS network in generating coral reef bleaching alerts are 1) wind speed and direction and 2) photosynthetically available radiation (PAR). NASA remote sensing products that can enhance CREWS in these areas include SST and PAR products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and wind data from the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT). CREWS researchers are also interested in chlorophyll, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and salinity. Chlorophyll and CDOM are directly available as NASA products, while rainfall (an available NASA product) can be used as a proxy for salinity. Other potential NASA inputs include surface reflectance products from MODIS, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, and Landsat. This report also identifies NASA-supported ocean circulation models and products from future satellite missions that might enchance the CREWS DST.

Description: Nel luglio 2006, nell’ambito della campagna di ricerche PRO.ME.TH.E.US (PROgram of Mediterranean Exploration for THermal Energy Use), l’OBS Lab dell’Osservatorio Geofisico di Gibilmanna dell’INGVCNT, ha deposto un prototipo di OBS/H sulla sommità del vulcano sottomarino Marsili (39° 16,383’ lat. Nord, 14° 23,588’ long. Est.) alla profondità di 790 m (D’Anna et alii, 2007); lo strumento ha registrato l’attività sismica del vulcano dal 12 al 21 luglio 2006. L’OBS/H era equipaggiato con un sismometro Trillium 40s della Nanometrics e un idrofono OAS E-2PD. La digitalizzazione è stata effettuata da un convertitore A/D a 21 bit a quattro canali (SEND Geolon MLS) e i segnali sono stati campionati ad una frequenza di 200 c/s (D’Anna et alii, 2007).In una prima fase di studio D’Alessandro et alii (2006) hanno individuato, nel segnale acquisito, la presenza di una elevata attività sismica (oltre 1000 eventi registrati in 9 giorni) legata probabilmente all’attività del vulcano Marsili oltre a eventi tettonici e forme d’onda transitorie di origine non sismica. In base ad analisi spettrali non parametriche, l’attività registrata era stata suddivisa in: eventi noti in letteratura come VT-B (Volcanic-Tectonic event, type B) che si manifestano in sciami, eventi ad alta frequenza legati a probabile attività idrotermale ed eventi classificabili come “Tornillo” o LPE (Long- Period Event) probabilmente generati da fenomeni di risonanza legati ad attività magmatica (Chouet, 1996). Al fine di caratterizzare con idonei parametri quantitativi i segnali appartenenti ai gruppi individuati e fare delle ipotesi sui diversi meccanismi sorgente, sono state successivamente eseguite analisi spettrali parametriche e di polarizzazione, che sono oggetto di questo lavoro. Rispetto all’analisi di Fourier, l’analisi spettrale parametrica permette di ottenere una migliore risoluzione, quando il segnale da analizzare presenta breve durata. Noi abbiamo applicato tale tipo di analisi agli eventi classificabili come Tornillo. Tali eventi sono generalmente quasi-monocromatici e presentano un inizio di tipo impulsivo, seguito da un lento e graduale decadimento in ampiezza. La descrizione delle frequenze di oscillazione di un Tornillo è di fondamentale importanza per stimare le caratteristiche della sorgente. Un metodo ad alta risoluzione spettrale basato sulle proprietà di un sistema dinamico è stato sviluppato da Kumazawa et alii (1990). Questo metodo chiamato Sompi è stato successivamente esteso da Yokoyama et alii (1997) alle equazioni AR non omogenee. Noi abbiamo utilizzato quest’ultimo metodo, implementando la procedura di Nakano et alii (1998), per analizzare i Tornillo ed attribuirgli una frequenza complessa.L’analisi di polarizzazione, risolvendo il problema agli autovalori associato alla matrice di covarianza dei segnali relativi alle tre componenti del moto, permette di definire l’orientazione e la lunghezza degli assi dell’ellissoide di polarizzazione associato alla finestra temporale del segnale sismico presa in esame. Al fine di migliorare la stima degli attributi di polarizzazione, la matrice di covarianza è stata corretta per la presenza di rumore sismico, sotto l’ipotesi di stocasticità e stazionarietà del rumore stesso. L’analisi di polarizzazione è stata applicata a oltre 200, tra gli eventi VT-B con maggiore energia, per individuare attraverso la direzione di polarizzazione delle fasi P (linearmente polarizzate) eventuali direzioni prevalenti di provenienza e quindi l’esistenza e ubicazione di volumi sismogenetici.

Description: Published

Description: Rome

Description: 2.5. Laboratorio per lo sviluppo di sistemi di rilevamento sottomarini

Description: open

Description: The Ocean Bottom Seismometer with Hydrophone deployed by the Gibilmanna OBS Lab (CNT-INGV) from the 12th to the 21st July 2006 on the flat top of the Marsili submarine volcano (790m of depth) recorded more than 1000 seismic events. By comparing them with the ones recorded in other volcanic areas and described in literature (Wassermann, 2002; McNutt, 2002; Díaz et al., 2007), we grouped these events in three categories: 817 VTB (Volcanic-Tectonic type B) events, 159 HF (High Frequency) events and 53 SDE’s (Short Duration Event). Small-magnitude VTB swarms, with frequency band between 2 and 6 Hz and mean time length of about 30 seconds, were almost all recorded in the first 7 days, while in the last 2 days, OBS recorded HF events with frequency band over 40 Hz and few minutes of length. Signals with similar frequency and time domain features are associated, to hydrothermal activity (Ohminato, 2006). The SDE waveform, characterized by a monochromatic signal with a slowly decaying envelope, is generated by oscillations of a resonant body excited by magmatic or hydrothermal activity (Chouet, 1996). We applied, to all the signals dataset, polarization and high resolution parametric spectral analysis. This kind of study allowed to mark the VTB events as multi P-phase events with shallow sources placed in a narrow azimuthal window as regards the OBS/H position. The seismogenetic volume is probably located in the North-East sector of the Marsili building. The high resolution parametric spectral analysis of the SDE signals allowed to find with high accuracy their dominant complex frequencies (!=f+ig). Plotting them in the complex frequencies plane we identified two distinct clusters with middle complex frequencies f=7.8s^−1, g=-0.35s^−1 and f=7.5s^−1, g=-0.47s^−1 respectively. These two clusters are probably linked two different seismogenetic volumes.

Description: Published

Description: Vienna

Description: 2.5. Laboratorio per lo sviluppo di sistemi di rilevamento sottomarini

Description: open