Satellite and in situ data integrated analysis to study the upper ocean an coastal environment of the Italian seas

The thesis objectives are to develop new methodologies for study of the space and time variability of Italian upper ocean ecosystem through the combined use of multi-sensors satellite data and in situ observations and to identify the capability and limits of remote sensing observations to monitor the marine state at short and long time scales. Three oceanographic basins have been selected and subjected to different types of analyses. The first region is the Tyrrhenian Sea where a comparative analysis of altimetry and lagrangian measurements was carried out to study the surface circulation. The results allowed to deepen the knowledge of the Tyrrhenian Sea surface dynamics and its variability and to defined the limitations of satellite altimetry measurements to detect small scale marine circulation features. Channel of Sicily study aimed to identify the spatial-temporal variability of phytoplankton biomass and to understand the impact of the upper ocean circulation on the marine ecosystem. An combined analysis of the satellite of long term time series of chlorophyll, Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Level field data was applied. The results allowed to identify the key role of the Atlantic water inflow in modulating the seasonal variability of the phytoplankton biomass in the region. Finally, Italian coastal marine system was studied with the objective to explore the potential capability of Ocean Color data in detecting chlorophyll trend in coastal areas. The most appropriated methodology to detect long term environmental changes was defined through intercomparison of chlorophyll trends detected by in situ and satellite. Then, Italian coastal areas subject to eutrophication problems were identified. This work has demonstrated that satellites data constitute an unique opportunity to define the features and forcing influencing the upper ocean ecosystems dynamics and can be used also to monitor environmental variables capable of influencing phytoplankton productivity.

[1]  G. Gasparini,et al.  Comparison between XBT data and TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimetry in the Ligurian-Tyrrhenian area , 2003 .

[2]  I. Marasović,et al.  Long-term production changes in the Adriatic , 1995 .

[3]  R. Sorgente,et al.  Seasonal variability in the Central Mediterranean Sea circulation , 2003 .

[4]  R. Schlitzer,et al.  Eastern Mediterranean deep water renewal on the basis of chlorofluoromethane and tritium data , 1991 .

[5]  J. Gascard,et al.  Response of the mediterranean to the water and energy fluxes across its surface, on seasonal and interannual scales , 1981 .

[6]  Cara Wilson,et al.  Global climatological relationships between satellite biological and physical observations and upper ocean properties , 2005 .

[7]  A. Alvarez,et al.  Mesoscale dynamics of the Balearic Front, integrating glider, ship and satellite data , 2009 .

[8]  P. Strub,et al.  Altimeter-derived variability of surface velocities in the California Current System: 2. Seasonal circulation and eddy statistics , 2000 .

[9]  G. Gasparini,et al.  A possible influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the circulation of the western Mediterranean Sea , 1999 .

[10]  I. Taupier-Letage,et al.  Circulation in the Mediterranean Sea , 2005 .

[11]  R. Coleman.  Satellite Altimetry and Earth Sciences: A Handbook of Techniques and Applications , 2001 .

[12]  F. D’Ortenzio,et al.  The colour of the Mediterranean Sea: Global versus regional bio-optical algorithms evaluation and implication for satellite chlorophyll estimates , 2007 .

[13]  Gilles Larnicol,et al.  Mean sea level and surface circulation variability of the Mediterranean Sea from 2 years of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry , 1995 .

[14]  M. Astraldi,et al.  Dynamics and mixing of the Eastern Mediterranean outflow in the Tyrrhenian basin , 1999 .

[15]  Thomas M. Smith,et al.  Extended Reconstruction of Global Sea Surface Temperatures Based on COADS Data (1854–1997) , 2003 .

[16]  F. Adler.  A Case , 1863, The Lancet.

[17]  Kathryn A. Kelly,et al.  The influence of winds and topography on the sea surface temperature patterns over the northern California slope , 1985 .

[18]  M. Rhein,et al.  Interbasin deep water exchange in the western Mediterranean , 1999 .

[19]  Pierre F. J. Lermusiaux,et al.  Estimation and study of mesoscale variability in the strait of Sicily , 1999 .

[20]  G. Larnicol,et al.  Mediterranean sea eddy kinetic energy variability from 11 years of altimetric data , 2005 .

[21]  Jordi Font,et al.  Observations on the Circulation in the Alboran Sea Using ERS1 Altimetry and Sea Surface Temperature Data , 1996 .

[22]  Cara Wilson,et al.  A global view of bio‐physical coupling from SeaWiFS and TOPEX satellite data, 1997–2001 , 2002 .

[23]  Stefano Vignudelli,et al.  Integrated use of altimeter and in situ data for understanding the water exchanges between the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Seas , 2000 .

[24]  Elise Ralph,et al.  Wind-Driven Currents in the Tropical Pacific , 1999 .

[25]  Francesco Bignami,et al.  The Surface Characteristics of the Tyrrhenian Sea: Historical Satellite Data Analysis , 2013 .

[26]  Cara Wilson,et al.  Correlations between surface chlorophyll and sea surface height in the tropical Pacific during the 1997–1999 El Niño‐Southern Oscillation event , 2001 .

[27]  D. Volkov.  Interannual Variability of the Altimetry-Derived Eddy Field and Surface Circulation in the Extratropical North Atlantic Ocean in 1993 2001 , 2005 .

[28]  Temel Oguz,et al.  Seasonal, interannual, and mesoscale variability of the Black Sea upper layer circulation derived from altimeter data , 2003 .

[29]  F. Hernandez,et al.  A mean dynamic topography computed over the world ocean from altimetry, in situ measurements, and a geoid model , 2004 .

[30]  D. Zanchettin,et al.  Po River discharges: a preliminary analysis of a 200-year time series , 2008 .

[31]  Gilles Larnicol,et al.  Major changes in Mediterranean Sea level variability from 7 years of TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1/2 data , 2002 .

[32]  A. Robinson,et al.  Features of dominant mesoscale variability, circulation patterns and dynamics in the Strait of Sicily , 2001 .

[33]  Kathryn A. Kelly.  Comment on “Empirical orthogonal function analysis of advanced very high resolution radiometer surface temperature patterns in Santa Barbara Channel” by G. S. E. Lagerloef and R. L. Bernstein , 1988 .

[34]  W. Pierson.  The sea surface , 1969 .

[35]  P. L. Traon,et al.  The eddy field associated with the Azores Front east of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge as observed by the Geosat altimeter , 1994 .

[36]  Gary S. E. Lagerloef,et al.  Empirical orthogonal function analysis of advanced very high resolution radiometer surface temperature patterns in Santa Barbara Channel , 1988 .

[37]  J. Yoder,et al.  Seasonal and ENSO variability in global ocean phytoplankton chlorophyll derived from 4 years of SeaWiFS measurements , 2003 .

[38]  S. Saitoh,et al.  Temporal and spatial variability of chlorophyll concentrations in the Bering Sea using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of remote sensing data , 2007 .