An algorithm for detecting Trichodesmium surface blooms in the South Western Tropical Pacific

Abstract

Trichodesmium, a major colonial cyanobacterial nitrogen fixer, forms large blooms in NO 3-depleted tropical oceans and enhances CO 2 sequestration by the ocean due to its ability to fix dissolved dinitrogen. Thus, its importance in C and N cycles requires better estimates of its distribution at basin to global scales. However, existing algorithms to detect them from satellite have not yet been successful in the South Western Tropical Pacific (SP). Here, a novel algorithm (TRICHOdesmium SATellite) based on radiance anomaly spectra (RAS) observed in SeaWiFS imagery, is used to detect Trichodesmium during the austral summertime in the SP (5° S-25° S 160° E-170° W). Selected pixels are characterized by a restricted range of parameters quantifying RAS spectra (e.g. slope, intercept, curvature). The fraction of valid (non-cloudy) pixels identified as Trichodesmium surface blooms in the region is low (between 0.01 and 0.2 %), but is about 100 times higher than deduced from previous algorithms. At daily scales in the SP, this fraction represents a total ocean surface area varying from 16 to 48 km 2 in Winter and from 200 to 1000 km 2 in Summer (and at monthly scale, from 500 to 1000 km 2 in Winter and from 3100 to 10 890 km 2 in Summer with a maximum of 26 432 km 2 in January 1999). The daily distribution of Trichodesmium surface accumulations in the SP detected by TRICHOSAT is presented for the period 1998-2010 which demonstrates that the number of selected pixels peaks in November-February each year, consistent with field observations. This approach was validated with in situ observations of Trichodesmium surface accumulations in the Melanesian archipelago around New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji Islands for the same period. © 2011 Author(s).