Mirosława Ostrowska

An attempt to use measurements of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to estimate chlorophyll a concentration in the Baltic Sea

The possibility of using natural fluorescence -- sun-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence (SICF) in remote sensing and/or contact investigations of chlorophyll a concentration (Ca) has often been discussed in recent years. The relationship between chlorophyll a concentration (Ca) and chlorophyll a fluorescence at 683 nm seems to evident and suggests a method of obtaining the Ca concentration on the basis of SICF intensity. Unfortunately this relationship is not as direct as we would like because SICF depends on numerous physiological properties of phytoplankton like fluorescence quantum yield and light absorption capacity which depend on an environmental factors. The influence of these parameters on SICF is shown in this paper and the relationships are presented. Using these we made attempt to achieve the direct functional dependence between the natural fluorescence (obtained from the upward reflectance coefficient spectrum measured at 665, 683 and 710 nm) and the chlorophyll a concentration. The analysis carried out in this study shows that the possibility determining Ca concentrations is limited to great optical depths in the sea ((tau) greater than 3). However using SICF for estimation Ca in the surface layer is probably impossible.

Model of the dependence of the sun-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence quantum yield on the environmental factors in the sea

The paper discusses a physical model, obtained with the aid of statistical analyses, of the relationships between the sun-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence quantum yield and marine environmental factors. The relationships are based on a large set of empirical data from various ocean regions with basins of different trophicity, at different depths and in different seasons. Underwater spectral radiance and irradiance in the PAR spectral range were used to determine the quantum yield of sun-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence. From a statistical analysis a preliminary mathematical expression was derived to describe the fluorescence quantum yield as a function of the scalar irradiance, basin trophicity and the water temperature in situ. These relationships may be useful for analysing the budget of the light energy absorbed by phytoplankton pigments utilized in chemical and non-chemical quenching.

Practical Applicability and Preliminary Results of the Baltic Environmental Satellite Remote Sensing System (Satbałtyk)

Abstract The SatBałtyk (Satellite Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Environment) project is being realized in Poland by the SatBałtyk Scientific Consortium, specifically appointed for this purpose, which associates four scientific institutions: the Institute of Oceanology PAN in Sopot - coordinator of the project, the University of Gdańsk (Institute of Oceanography), the Pomeranian Academy in Słupsk (Institute of Physics) and the University of Szczecin (Institute of Marine Sciences). The project is aiming to prepare a technical infrastructure and set in motion operational procedures for the satellite monitoring of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. The main sources of input data for this system will be the results of systematic observations by metrological and environmental satellites such as TIROS N/NOAA, MSG (currently Meteosat 10), EOS/AQUA and Sentinel -1, 2, 3 (in the future). The system will deliver on a routine basis the variety of structural and functional properties of this sea, based on data provided by relevant satellites and supported by hydro-biological models. Among them: the solar radiation influx to the sea’s waters in various spectral intervals, energy balances of the short- and long-wave radiation at the Baltic Sea surface and in the upper layers of the atmosphere over the Baltic, sea surface temperature distribution, dynamic states of the water surface, concentrations of chlorophyll a and other phytoplankton pigments in the Baltic waters, spatial distributions of algal blooms, the occurrence of coastal upwelling events, and the characteristics of primary production of organic matter and photosynthetically released oxygen in the water and many others. The structure of the system and preliminary results will be presented.