The black box approach to ecology flunks High Tech 101

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The black box approach to ecology flunks High
Tech 101
Major processes already identified in ecology

• Top down effects predation and grazing

• Bottom up effects nutrient, productivity,
  recruitment growth

Initial observations in coastal Oregon
2 sites within 85 km with different communities
Open ocean appears to be nutrient regulated
Coastal zoologists focus on grazing and predation
How could in different communities be
maintained at relatively small scales ?
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Boiler Bay Strawberry Hill abundant
macrophytes abundant filter feeders few
filter feeders, abundant macrograzers few
macrograzers, abundant predators few
predators few macrophytes

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Strawberry Hill had higher rates of both
processes Top-down (grazing and predation)
Bottom-up processes (animal recruitment and
growth)
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Hydrodynamic conditions do not differ between
these sites
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Mesoscale differences arise from bottom-up
effects on pelagic phytoplankton
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Modern Technologies

• Sea surface temperatures
• Geoplanetary Operational
• Environmental Satellite
• (GOES - 10) NOAA

http//rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/

• Chlorophyll a content on earths surface
• Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View
• Sensor (SeaWiFS) NASA

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GOES Satellites
Mission Life 5 years, minimum Dimensions Main
body 2 meter (7 foot) cube Deployed length
27 meters (88 feet) Weight 2100 kg (4600
lb) Orbit Geosynchronous Altitude
36,000 km (22,000 mi) Longitude 75W and
135W Latitude Equatorial, within 0.5
degree Communications Imager Sounder in
GVAR format _at_ 2.1 Mbits/sec
These satellites orbit the equatorial plane of
the Earth at a speed matching the Earth's
rotation they hover continuously over one
position on the surface. The geosynchronous plane
is about 35,800 km above the Earth, high enough
to see a full-disc view of the Earth.
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GOES Satellites - Constant vigil for the
atmospheric "triggers

• Severe weather conditions monitored tornadoes,
  flash floods and hurricanes.
• monitor storm development track movements
• estimate rainfall during heavy storms for flash
  flood warnings
• estimate snowfall extent
• early detection of winter storms spring snow
  melt advisories.
• detect ice fields map the movements of sea and
  lake ice
• calculate sea surfaces temperatures.

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GOES Satellites

• The GOES I-M
• Imager
• 5 channels (one visible, 4 infrared)
• imaging radiometer
• senses radiant and solar reflected energy from
  sampled areas of the earths surface.

By means of a servo driven, 2-axis gimbaled
mirror scanning system in conjunction with a
Cassegrain telescope, the Imager's multispectral
channels can simultaneously sweep an 8-km (5
statute mile) N-to-S swath along an E-to-W /
W-to-E path, at a rate of 20 º (optical) E-W / s.
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Channel 1 (Vis) 2 (Shrtwv) 3
(H2O) 4 (IR 1) 5 (IR 2)Wavelengthrange
(um) 0.55 - 0.75 3.8 - 4.0 6.5 -
7.0 10.2-11.2 11.5-InstantaneousGeograp
hic 1 km 4 km 8 km 4 km 4 km
Field of View(IGFOV) _at_ nadir


GOES Satellites
This translates into being able to scan a 3000
by 3000 km "box" centered over the United States
in just 41 seconds. The actual scanning sequence
takes places by sweeping in an E-W direction,
stepping in the N-S direction, than sweeping back
in a W-E direction, stepping N-S, sweeping E-W,
etc.
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Modern Technologies

• Sea surface temperatures
• Geoplanetary Operational
• Environmental Satellite
• (GOES - 10) NOAA

• Chlorophyll a content on earths surface
• Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View
• Sensor (SeaWiFS) NASA

http//seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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SeaWiFS

• At 705 km above the earth, this satellite runs a
  noon, sun-synchronous orbit, performing lunar and
  solar calibration maneuvers, and providing
  attitude knowledge within 1 SeaWiFS pixel.
  Sensors include redundant sun sensors, horizon
  sensors, and magnetometers.

Sensors evaluate 8 bands or spectral regions.
Passes take in about 1,000 x 1,000 km data sets
(1 pixel ? 1 km) in about 1 minute (1 M pixels),
about 10 years worth of research vessel time.
http//daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/CAMPAIGN_DOCS/OCDST/cla
ssic_scenes/00_classics_index.html
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SeaWiFS

• Sensors
• Band Wavelength
• 1 402-422 nm
• 2 433-453 nm
• 3 480-500 nm
• 4 500-520 nm
• 5 545-565 nm
• 6 660-680 nm
• 7 745-785 nm
• 8 845-885 nm

• Mission Characteristics Above movie built from
  1000 km w x 1000 km high or 10 6 measuremments
• Orbit Type Sun Synchronous at 705 km Orbital
  Period 99 minutes 14x/d
• Equator Crossing Noon 20 min descending
  Swath Width 2801 km
• Spatial Resolution 1.1 km LAC Revisit
  Time 1 day

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SeaWiFS - getting the data BACK is the challenge

• The satellite orbits the Earth 14 times per
  day, but half of the Earth is dark at any given
  moment.

• SeaWiFS is only able to collect useful
  information where the sun is shining, - only
  during daylit portions of the orbit.

• As the satellite comes over the North Pole, the
  SeaWiFS instrument is turned on and begins to
  beam down data via a radio transmitter to any
  receiving station that is within range.

• After about 7 orbits, the satellite passes over
  the East Coast
• at about noon, where it transmits half a world of
  data to NASA/
• Goddard and backup stations.

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Satellites 101
http//liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov

• Did you know there are gt 8,000 artificial
  objects orbiting Earth?
• Over 2,500 are satellites - operative and
  inoperative.
• The rest is orbital debris nosecone shrouds,
  lens, hatch covers, rocket bodies, payloads that
  have disin-tegrated, and even objects that
  "escaped" from manned spacecraft during
  operations.

http//liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/3D/JT
rack3D.html
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Satellites overhead
What can we learn?

• Buoys in 5,300 m water

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Open ocean off Big Island - Kau side

• Trade winds blow 300 d/yr

• Peak gusts can average over 60 knots

http//www.ndbc.noaa. gov/Maps/Hawaii.shtml
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Alenuihaha Channel

• Protected somewhat by North Kohala

• Peak gusts, on average, lt 50 knots

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Tradewinds result in deep ocean hurricanes -

• Trades blow extended periods

• Islands deform ocean water flow

• Thermocline position changes with this
  deformation

Illustration P. Flament
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Deep water near shore for many leeward coasts
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Cyclonic eddies spin up deep water to surface

• 50 to 200 km diam
• persist several weeks to months

mid May 1999 - Jan 2000
Loretta
3x Chl a concentration within ring vs ocean
Ku Lama Geophysical Research Letters
http//coastwatch.nmfs.hawaii.edu
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http//coastwatch.nmfs.hawaii.edu/
More recent eddy cycle
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Coccolithophorids as primary producers?
Emiliana huxleyi
Coccoliths as CaCO3 body scales
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Nutrients arent just from the water column,
sediments or groundwater any more
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