Folks,
Just wanted to let everyone know that there is a new feature on the Ocean Color Web homepage ( http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.go
Modis Aqua Reprocessing
MODIS Ocean Color Data Users:
Within the next few days the OBPG plans to initiate a partial reprocessing of MODIS-Aqua ocean color products spanning approximately the last year of the mission (August 2012 to present). As indicated in a previous message (sent 2 August 2013), this reprocessing is just an update to the instrument calibration to reduce some mirror-side striping artifacts. The impact to the global mean time-series is small. For details, see:
http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.go
We expect the reprocessing to be completed within a few days of initiation. If you have any questions or wish to track the status of the reprocessing, please refer to the topic on the ocean color forum.
http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.go
El Niño–related offshore phytoplankton bloom events around the Spratley Islands in the South China Sea
Isoguchi, Osamu; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Ku-Kassim, Ku-Yaacob
Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 32, Issue 21, CiteID L21603
Abstract
Satellite chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) observations reveal offshore phytoplankton bloom events with high Chl-a (>1 mg m-3) spreading over 300 km off the coasts around the Spratley Islands in the South China Sea (SCS) during the spring of 1998. The bloom entails anomalous wind jet and sea surface temperature (SST) cooling, suggesting that the wind jet-induced mixing and/or offshore upwelling bring about the cooling and the bloom through the supply of nutrient-rich waters into the euphotic zone. The strong wind jet is orographically formed responding to shifts in wind direction over the eastern SCS. The wind shift is connected with the Philippine Sea anomalous anticyclone that is established during El Niño, indicating the El Niño-related offshore bloom. The long-term reanalysis winds over the eastern SCS demonstrates that wind jet formation and associated offshore cooling/bloom are expected to occur in most cases of the subsequent El Niño years.
Keywords: Oceanography: Physical: ENSO (4922), Oceanography: Physical: Topographic/bathymetric interactions, Oceanography: Biological and Chemical: Phytoplankton
DOI: 10.1029/2005GL024285
Upwelling induced by meso-scale cyclonic eddies in the Andaman Sea
Buranapratheprat, Anukul,Laongmanee, Penchan,Sukramongkol, Natinee,Prommas, Ritthirong,Promjunda, Sayan,Yanagi, Tetsuo, 2010. Upwelling induced by meso-scale cyclonic eddies in the Andaman Sea. Coastal marine science. Vol. 34, No. 1, 2010, pp. 68-73
http://hdl.handle.net/2261/51653
Abstract:
The results from a survey on oceanographic phenomena and fishery resources in the Andaman Sea, under the Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management in the Bay of Bengal Project, initiated by members of BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic cooperation), revealed the evidence of upwelling. It was observed from shallow pycnocline and high salinity near sea surface. The relationship between surface chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and upwelling was prominent that Chl-a tended to be high in upwelling areas. Satellite altimetry and the surface geostropic current captured during the same period of the field survey, suggest that upwelling is induced by cyclonic eddies. This phenomenon could be observed on satellite Chl-a image over the Andaman Sea. Further investigations are required to assess their role in oceanographic processes, especially primary productivity, in the Andaman Sea.
Keywords:
- cyclonic eddy
- upwelling
- altimetry
- geostrophic current
- the Andaman Sea
- nutrient
- chlorophyll
Abnormal upwelling and chlorophyll-a concentration off South Vietnam in summer 2007
Liu, X., J. Wang, X. Cheng, and Y. Du (2012), Abnormal upwelling and chlorophyll-a concentration off South Vietnam in summer 2007, J. Geophys. Res., 117, C07021, doi:10.1029/2012JC008052.
Abstract
The present study investigates a strong upwelling and concurrent phytoplankton bloom off the South Vietnam coast in August 2007. Analysis of the alongshore wind, offshore Ekman transport, wind stress curl and other parameters indicates the southwesterly summer monsoon plays an important role in this peculiar case. The change of monsoonal wind involves variations of atmospheric circulation on multiple time scales. On the interannual time scale, a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) in 2007 accompanying with a La Niña event acts to enhance the southwesterly monsoon over the South China Sea (SCS). The enhanced southwesterly wind is regarded as a major factor in promoting the upwelling and the phytoplankton bloom off the South Vietnam coast. On the intraseasonal time scale, variations of the sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface wind at 30-60 day periods reveal that the SST cooling develops with the evolution of the southwesterly wind anomalies with nearly one week delay, implying the great significance of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Moreover, a tropical storm formed in the western SCS in early August reinforces the westerly wind and SST cooling. Among multiple factors on different time scales, the MJO event is considered as the major cause, since it induces the maximum velocity (4 m/s) of the southwesterly wind anomalies. As a result, the high Chlorophyll-a concentration (>0.56 mg/m3) and low SST center (<27 {degree sign}C) develops in the region off the South Vietnam coast and advects to the central SCS, riding on the northern rim of the southern anticyclonic gyre.
Keywords:
- Chlorophyll-a concentration
- El Niño
- Indian Ocean dipole
- Madden-Julian Oscillation
- South Vietnam coast
- upwelling
Remote sensing oceanography of a harmful algal bloom (HAB) off the coast of southeastern Vietnam
DanLing TANG, H Kawamura, Hai Doan-Nhu, W Takahashi , 2004. Remote sensing oceanography of a harmful algal bloom (HAB) off the coast of southeastern Vietnam. J. of Geophysical Research (Ocean).Vol 109, doi:10.1029/2003JC002045, 2004.
Abstract
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the southeastern Vietnamese coastal waters have caused large economic losses in aquacultured and wild fisheries in recent years; however, there have been few oceanographic studies on these HAB events. The present study reports an extensive HAB off southeastern Vietnamese waters during late June to July 2002 with in situ observations and analyzes the oceanographic conditions using satellite remote sensing data. The HAB had high chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations (up to 4.5 mg m−3) occurring ∼200 km off the coast and ∼200 km northeast of the Mekong River mouth for a period of ∼6 weeks. The bloom was dominated by the harmful algae haptophyte Phaeocystis cf. globosa and caused a very significant mortality of aquacultured fish and other marine life. In the same period, sea surface temperature (SST) imagery showed a cold water plume extending from the coast to the open sea, and QuikScat data showed strong southwesterly winds blowing parallel to the coastline. This study indicated that the HAB was induced and supported by offshore upwelling that brings nutrients from the deep ocean to the surface and from coastal water to offshore water and that the upwelling was driven by strong wind through Ekman transport when winds were parallel to the coastline. This study demonstrated the possibility of utilizing a combination of satellite data of Chl a, SST, and wind velocity together with coastal bathymetric information and in situ observations to give a better understanding of the biological oceanography of HABs.
Keywords:
- harmful algal bloom (HAB);
- satellite remote sensing;
- upwelling;
- SeaWiFS;
- chlorophyll a;
- AVHRR SST;
- South China Sea
Research Associate/Research Assistant (Bangkok, Thailand)
Position: Research Associate/Research Assistant
Topic: Managing Resources for Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia (MR4SD) Research Group
Salary range: Competitive salary with benefits, commensurate with experience and qualifications. SEI reserves the right to appoint at a lower level, if appropriate.
Start date: As soon as possible, however, not later than early October is expected.
Contract period: 24 months renewable contract with 6-month probation period
Duty station: Bangkok, Thailand
Application deadline: 15 August 2013
Job description
The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) seeks a Research Associate to assist in undertaking research and coordination on projects relating to biophysical processes and the conditions that enable sustainable land, water and energy management considering uncertain future climate conditions.
The appointee will be working with colleagues in the MR4SD research group at Asia Centre in Bangkok and SEI colleagues worldwide. The appointee will be responsible for carrying out library and internet searches; conducting literature reviews and preparing bibliographies; assisting in proposal preparation; contributing to planning and implementation of fieldwork; recording; collating and analyzing data; preparing project documentation and reports; preparing scientific papers; and other tasks depending on the skills and background of the appointee.
The Research Associate/Research Assistant will report directly to the MR4SD Research Group Leader and specific project leader/manager and under overall supervision by the Centre Director of SEI in Asia.
Essential Criteria
- Masters-level degree in relevant subject, e.g. agricultural or environmental engineering, physical geography, geo-ecology, hydrology, environmental studies or other fields related to land and water resources.
- Strong motivation, personal initiative and commitment to excellence and results, as well as enthusiasm for doing scientific research.
- Good background in, and ability to apply, quantitative approaches, statistics and numerical modeling (e.g. hydrological model, ecosystem model), as well as quantitative GIS/RS methods (e.g. spatial data).
- Good understanding of the concept of environmental sustainability.
- Experience in field data collection.
- Demonstrated record of oral and written communication.
- Demonstrated record of interdisciplinary collaboration, partnership and team building and the desire to work in a collaborative environment.
- Good organization and time management skills.
- Fluency in spoken and written English.
Desirable Criteria
- At least 3 years of research experience in the Mekong River region
- Experience in communicating complex concepts and information to a range of different audiences.
- Interest in working at the interface with social science and policy engagement, and qualitative approaches.
- Knowledge of a Southeast Asian language is desirable.
- Knowledge of a programming or scripting language is an advantage.
ENQUIRIES: Ms. Orn-uma Polpanich ( ornuma.polpanich@sei-international.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
How to apply
Please send your application and supporting documents to Ms. Nipa Laithong ( nipa.laithong@sei-international.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled. Please include the following:
- Cover letter highlighting relevant qualifications and experience, what appeals to you about this job, and how you envision your work at SEI (max. 2 pages).
- Curriculum vitae, including major projects led (with an emphasis on Southeast Asia region), publications, three professional references who will be contacted only if short-listed (max. 8 pages), and current and expected salary (in Thai baht/month).
- 2 to 3 samples of publications of which you are the lead author.
Application will be acknowledged. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview.
Germany DAAD Scholarship for Developing Countries
Each year, DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service offers scholarships for developing countries’ students. The scholarships are available for pursuing a postgraduate degree at German institutions of Higher education. These scholarships provide monthly installment of EUR 750.00. and also include the costs for health, accident and liability insurance in Germany and an adequate travelling allowance.
Study Subject(s): DAAD Scholarships for Developing Countries are offered for pursuing development-related postgraduate courses in the areas of Economic Sciences / Business Administration/ Political Economics, Development Co-operation, Engineering and related sciences, Mathematics, Regional Planning, Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Public Health / Veterinary Medicine / Medicine, Social Science, Education & Law and Media Studies.
Course Level: The scholarship is offered to pursue a postgraduate degree at German institutions of Higher education.
Scholarship Provider: DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service.
Scholarship can be taken at: Germany
Eligibility:
-Age limit: 36 years of age at the time of application (for some courses 32 years)
For some courses, Bachelor degree should have been completed not longer than 6 years at the time of application. Concerning this matter, please directly contact the coordinator of the respective study program.
-Degree: Bachelor or Master
-GPA: min 2,75 for Master candidates (some study programs applied GPA more than 2,75. Please see the detail on the website of each study program) and 3,00 for Doctoral candidates.
-Work experience: at least two years after completing Bachelor degree.
-Language skill:
-For postgraduate courses held in English request an international TOEFL (minimum score: 550 paper based, 213 computer based, 80 internet based) or IELTS (band 6). Some courses may expect a different level. For detailed information see the website of the relevant course.
-For postgraduate courses held in German: please see the details on the course list. A certain level of German language exam may be required before admission to the course.
Summer Upwelling at Southern Vietnam on 12 July 2013
The upwelling at Southern Vietnam is at its full strength on 2 July 2013.
Following is the MODIS Aqua Chlorophyll-a image of Southern Vietnam
For downloading the Ocean Color Data on Southern Vietnam, kindly follow the link HERE.
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