Water clarity patterns in South Florida coastal waters and their linkages to synoptic-scale wind forcing. Satellite Oceanography and Meteorology

Temporal variability in water clarity for South Florida’s marine ecosystems was examined through satel-lite-derived light attenuation (Kd) coefficients, in the context of wind- and weather patterns. Reduced water clarity along Florida’s coasts is often the result of abrupt wind-resuspension events and other exogenous factors linked to frontal passage, storms, and precipitation. Kd data between 1998 and 2013 were synthesized to form a normalized Kd index (KDI) and subsequently compared with Self Organizing Map (SOM)-based wind field categorizations to reveal spati-otemporal patterns and their inter-relationships. Kd climatological maximums occur from October through December along southern sections of the West Florida Shelf (WFS) and from January through March along the Florida Straits. Spatial clusters of elevated Kd occur along 3 spatial domains: central WFS, southern WFS, and Florida Straits near the Florida Reef Tract, where intra-seasonal variability is the highest, and clarity patterns are associated with transitional wind patterns sequenced with cyclonic circulation. Temporal wind transitions from southerly to northerly, typically ac-companying frontal passages, most often result in elevated Kd response. Results demonstrate the potential of using syn-optic climatological analysis and satellite indices for tracking variability in water clarity and other indicators related to biological health. 2017 NOS (National Ocean Service) NCCOS (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science) Submitted http://dx.doi.org/10.18063/SOM.2017.01.003 Other 1948

本研究以风场与天气格局为背景，通过卫星反演得到的光衰减系数（Kd），分析了南佛罗里达海洋生态系统水体透明度的时间变化特征。佛罗里达沿岸水体透明度下降通常由突发性风力再悬浮事件，以及与锋面过境、风暴和降水相关的其他外源性因素导致。研究整合了1998至2013年间的Kd数据，构建了归一化Kd指数（KDI），随后将其与基于自组织映射（SOM）的风场分类结果进行对比，以揭示其时空分布模式及相互关联。光衰减系数的气候学最大值出现在西佛罗里达陆架（WFS）南部的10月至12月，以及佛罗里达海峡的1月至3月。水体光衰减系数升高的空间集群分布于三个区域：西佛罗里达陆架中部、西佛罗里达陆架南部，以及邻近佛罗里达礁群的佛罗里达海峡；该区域季节内变异性最高，水体透明度模式与气旋环流序列下的过渡型风场特征密切相关。通常伴随锋面过境的、风向由南风向北风转变的时间性风场转换，最易引发水体光衰减系数升高的响应。研究结果表明，利用天气尺度气候学分析与卫星指数追踪水体透明度及其他与生物健康相关的指标具有可行性。2017年 美国国家海洋服务局（National Ocean Service, NOS） 海岸海洋科学国家中心（National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, NCCOS） 投稿 链接：http://dx.doi.org/10.18063/SOM.2017.01.003 其他编号：1948