Incorporating 1-D Observed Patchiness Into 2-D Fields for Flux Calculations: an Example from Georges Bank, Northwest Atlantic GLOBEC
Abstract
Physical and biological controls on fluxes of carbon in oceanic systems are patchy over a range of spatial scales. Accurately characterizing this patchiness has ramifications for the estimates of fluxes resulting from large-scale models. Surveys of Georges Bank during US GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic yielded continuous alongtrack measurements of temperature, salinity, fluorescence and acoustic backscatter in January, March, and June of 1998 and 1999. These observations can be used to characterize seasonal patchiness of physical and biological factors around the Bank on scales of 10s of meters to 10s of kilometers. Localized characterization of these parameters is necessary in the hydrographically diverse regions of the Bank. Wavelet analysis allows determination of localized spectra, the slopes β of which provide fractal measures that can be used to constrain a stochastic model of patchiness based on the observations. Using fluorescence and acoustic backscatter as proxies for prey and predators, first order calculations of potential flux, based on spatial overlap, indicate bounds on possible fluxes consistent with observed patchiness. A fractal interpolation scheme is demonstrated that allows calculation of potential flux over a 2-D field developed from localized characterization along 1-D tracklines from the survey.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002AGUFMOS52B0217F
- Keywords:
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- 3250 Fractals and multifractals;
- 4815 Ecosystems;
- structure and dynamics;
- 4842 Modeling;
- 4855 Plankton;
- 9325 Atlantic Ocean