Monitoring and Tracking the Green Tide in the Yellow Sea With Satellite Imagery and Trajectory Model

A massive green tide (i.e., Ulva prolifera bloom) event in summer 2015 in the Yellow Sea was investigated using satellite imagery and a trajectory model. First, the occurrence and evolution of the macroalgal bloom were studied based on time series of cloud-free Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer imagery during May to August using the Floating Algae Index detection method. A Lagrangian spill trajectory model, i.e., the General NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) model, which was originally designed to simulate the transport of oil spills, was then implemented to produce trajectories of the macroalgae. The model was forced by the 3-hourly ocean surface current data from the Naval Oceanographic Office global-scale operational ocean prediction system, and 6-hourly blended surface wind products from NOAA/National Climatic Data Center. The simulated transport of the green tide agrees fairly well with satellite observations over the time span of about 10 days, indicating that the combination of GNOME model and satellite data can be employed for rapid algal bloom response and environmental impact assessment. The results of numerical experiments also show that the surface winds play a significant role in the movement of the macroalgae in the Yellow Sea where the surface currents in summer are primarily driven by sea winds.

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