Remote Sensing of Coastal Upwelling in the South-Eastern Baltic Sea: Statistical Properties and Implications for the Coastal Environment

A detailed study of wind-induced coastal upwelling (CU) in the south-eastern Baltic Sea is presented based on an analysis of multi-mission satellite data. Analysis of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) sea surface temperature (SST) maps acquired between April and September of 2000–2015 allowed for the identification of 69 CU events. The Ekman-based upwelling index (UI) was applied to evaluate the effectiveness of the satellite measurements for upwelling detection. It was found that satellite data enable the identification of 87% of UI-based upwelling events during May–August, hence, serving as an effective tool for CU detection in the Baltic Sea under relatively cloud-free summer conditions. It was also shown that upwelling-induced SST drops, and its spatial properties are larger than previously registered. During extreme upwelling events, an SST drop might reach 14 ◦C, covering a total area of nearly 16,000 km2. The evolution of an upwelling front during such intensive events is accompanied by the generation of transverse filaments extending up to 70 km offshore. An analysis of the satellite optical data shows a clear decline in the chlorophyll-a concentration in the coastal zone and in the shallow Curonian Lagoon, where it drops down by an order of magnitude. It was also shown that a cold upwelling front alters the stratification in the atmospheric boundary layer, leading to a sudden drop of air temperature and near-surface winds.

[1]  M. Szymelfenig,et al.  Upwelling characteristics in the Puck Bay (the Baltic Sea) , 2009 .

[2]  K. Myrberg,et al.  Upwelling in the Baltic Sea — A review , 2008 .

[3]  L. Kelpšaitė,et al.  Upwelling by the Lithuanian coast: Numerical prediction using GIS methods , 2012, 2012 IEEE/OES Baltic International Symposium (BALTIC).

[4]  Xuemei Qiu,et al.  Phenology of coastal upwelling in the California Current , 2009 .

[5]  K. Myrberg,et al.  The physical oceanography of the Gulf of Finland: a review , 1998 .

[6]  V. Zhurbas,et al.  Formation and decay of a longshore baroclinic jet associated with transient coastal upwelling and downwelling : A numerical study with applications to the Baltic Sea , 2006 .

[7]  B. Håkansson,et al.  Distributions of the sea-surface temperature fronts in the Baltic Sea as derived from satellite imagery , 1995 .

[8]  A. Krężel,et al.  Influence of coastal upwelling on chlorophyll a concentration in the surface water along the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea , 2005 .

[9]  David J. Schwab,et al.  Classifying and Forecasting Coastal Upwellings in Lake Michigan Using Satellite Derived Temperature Images and Buoy Data , 2006 .

[10]  J. Leppänen,et al.  The influence of weather conditions (temperature and wind) on cyanobacterial bloom development in the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea) , 2003 .

[11]  L. Breaker,et al.  A model for estimating cross‐shore surface transport with application to the New Jersey Shelf , 2010 .

[12]  I. Chubarenko,et al.  Upwelling or differential cooling? Analysis of satellite SST images of the Southeastern Baltic Sea , 2017, Water Resources.

[13]  K. Myrberg,et al.  A statistical approach to coastal upwelling in the Baltic Sea based on the analysis of satellite data for 1990-2009 , 2012 .

[14]  V. Kudryavtsev,et al.  Observations of atmospheric boundary layer evolution above the Gulf Stream frontal zone , 1996 .

[15]  J. Karstensen,et al.  Summer upwelling at the Boknis Eck time series station (1982 to 2012) - a combined glider and wind data analysis , 2014 .

[16]  A. Piola,et al.  Satellite remote sensing reveals coastal upwelling events in the San Matías Gulf?Northern Patagonia , 2014 .

[17]  J. Johannessen,et al.  Quad‐polarization SAR features of ocean currents , 2014 .

[18]  M. Lévy,et al.  The Modulation of Biological Production by Oceanic Mesoscale Turbulence , 2008 .

[19]  M. Kowalewski.  The influence of the Hel upwelling (Baltic Sea) on nutrient concentrations and primary production - the results of an ecohydrodynamic model , 2005 .

[20]  J. Haapala.  Upwelling and its influence on nutrient concentration in the coastal area of the Hanko Peninsula, entrance of the Gulf of Finland , 1994 .

[21]  Structure of dynamic fields in the Southeastern Baltic during wind forcings that cause upwelling and downwelling , 2012, Oceanology.

[22]  Igor E. Kozlov,et al.  MODIS-based sea surface temperature of the Baltic Sea Curonian Lagoon , 2014 .

[23]  A. Mangin,et al.  Modelling ocean–lagoon interaction during upwelling processes in the South West of New Caledonia , 2013 .

[24]  A. Bakun,et al.  Coastal Upwelling Indices, West Coast of North America, 1946-71 , 2018 .

[25]  M. Gómez-Gesteira,et al.  Ekman transport along the Galician coast (northwest Spain) calculated from forecasted winds , 2006 .

[26]  Bertrand Chapron,et al.  ASAR imaging for coastal upwelling in the Baltic Sea , 2012 .

[27]  P. Relvas,et al.  An upwelling filament off southwest Iberia: Effect on the chlorophyll a and nutrient export , 2010 .

[28]  David L. T. Anderson,et al.  Scatterometer data interpretation: Estimation and validation of the transfer function CMOD4 , 1997 .

[29]  Mariano Bresciani,et al.  Validation of MERIS bio-optical products with in situ data in the turbid Lithuanian Baltic Sea coastal waters , 2012 .

[30]  B. Blanke,et al.  North Pacific Gyre Oscillation modulates seasonal timing and ecosystem functioning in the California Current upwelling system , 2012 .

[31]  L. Gidhagen.  Coastal upwelling in the Baltic Sea—Satellite and in situ measurements of sea-surface temperatures indicating coastal upwelling , 1987 .

[32]  O. Andrejev,et al.  Dynamic features of successive upwelling events in the Baltic Sea - a numerical case study , 2010 .

[33]  Claudia Giardino,et al.  In situ measurements and satellite remote sensing of case 2 waters: first results from the Curonian Lagoon* , 2010 .

[34]  R. Aps,et al.  Spatio-temporal variations in hydro-physical and -chemical parameters during a major upwelling event off the Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland in summer 2006 , 2007 .

[35]  G. Bigg,et al.  Spatial and temporal seasonal trends in coastal upwelling off Northwest Africa, 1981-2012 , 2014 .

[36]  A. Lehmann,et al.  Upwelling dynamics in the Baltic Sea studied by a combined SAR/infrared satellite data and circulation model analysis , 2013 .

[37]  D. Sproson,et al.  Modelling the impact of Baltic Sea upwelling on the atmospheric boundary layer , 2014 .

[38]  B. Menge,et al.  Climate‐driven trends and ecological implications of event‐scale upwelling in the California Current System , 2012 .

[39]  Marek Półrolniczak,et al.  Synoptic conditions governing upwelling along the Polish Baltic coast , 2013 .

[40]  V. Klemas.  Remote Sensing Techniques for Studying Coastal Ecosystems: An Overview , 2010 .

[41]  K. Kononen,et al.  Effect of upwelling on the pelagic environment and bloom-forming cyanobacteria in the western Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea , 2005 .

[42]  Jaan Laanemets,et al.  Modeling of the mesoscale structure of coupled upwelling/downwelling events and the related input of nutrients to the upper mixed layer in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea , 2008 .

[43]  R. Uiboupin,et al.  Upwelling characteristics derived from satellite sea surface temperature data in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea , 2009 .

[44]  T. Seifert,et al.  Rossby radii and phase speeds in the Baltic Sea , 1991 .

[45]  L. Sipelgas,et al.  Monitoring the effect of upwelling on the chlorophyll a distribution in the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea) using remote sensing and in situ data , 2012 .

[46]  Kai Myrberg,et al.  Main upwelling regions in the Baltic Sea a statistical analysis based on three-dimensional modelling , 2003 .

[47]  Birgit Wirtz,et al.  Physical Oceanography Of The Baltic Sea , 2016 .

[48]  K. Myrberg,et al.  Topography, Hydrography, Circulation and Modelling of the Baltic Sea , 2013 .

[49]  H. Dietze,et al.  Effects of surface current-wind interaction in an eddy-rich general ocean circulation simulation of the Baltic Sea , 2016 .

[50]  Daniela Stroppiana,et al.  Retrospective analysis of spatial and temporal variability of chlorophyll-a in the Curonian Lagoon , 2012, Journal of Coastal Conservation.

[51]  H. Behrendt,et al.  An integrated river basin-coast-sea modelling scenario for nitrogen management in coastal waters , 2008 .