Post by Marie Smith on Dec 5, 2017 10:29:03 GMT
I see that there are two different Chl-a products - which one should I use?
These two products come from two different satellites, which pass over regions at different times of the day. OLCI generally flies over RSA during the morning, whilst MODIS-Aqua passes over in the afternoons. Using both of these products gives us a better chance of getting a clear view of the ocean, particularly if there are clouds. We are working on merging these product to provide a single, robust product that could provide more coverage than any single product.
What are the resolution of the data products, i.e. how big are the pixels?
The Chl-a data are approximately 1km2, while the sea surface temperature product is approximately 2km2.
Why aren't there data over my area today?
Due to the orbits of the satellites, they do not pass over the same spot everyday. This means that you may sometimes only have an image every 1-2 days. Unfortunately these sensors can also not see through clouds, so even if there was a satellite overpass, there may not be any ocean data.
Can you tell us where the bloom is going to be tomorrow?
To an extent, yes. We currently use our regional knowledge and local wind forecasts to estimate whether a bloom is likely to move, spread, or cause harm, and report the risk accordingly. However, we are working on improving our bloom movement predictive capability with coastal circulation models - so watch this space!
What other tools will be added to the website?
We would also like to include a "virtual buoy" tool, where a user can select a point anywhere on the ZA map and get a time-series of historic Chl-a or temperature. Similarly, we would like to provide a "bloom risk climatology", which will provide more information on where and how frequently blooms have occurred in the past along the ZA coast. Another tool would be the "snap-to" tool, which will enable users to select a location and view the previous date/image when a HAB occured in that particular region. We would also like to integrate cell counts and phytoplanton data from aquaculture facilities, as well as other opportunistic sources (buoys, fieldwork campaigns, etc) into the HAB DeST.
These two products come from two different satellites, which pass over regions at different times of the day. OLCI generally flies over RSA during the morning, whilst MODIS-Aqua passes over in the afternoons. Using both of these products gives us a better chance of getting a clear view of the ocean, particularly if there are clouds. We are working on merging these product to provide a single, robust product that could provide more coverage than any single product.
What are the resolution of the data products, i.e. how big are the pixels?
The Chl-a data are approximately 1km2, while the sea surface temperature product is approximately 2km2.
Why aren't there data over my area today?
Due to the orbits of the satellites, they do not pass over the same spot everyday. This means that you may sometimes only have an image every 1-2 days. Unfortunately these sensors can also not see through clouds, so even if there was a satellite overpass, there may not be any ocean data.
Can you tell us where the bloom is going to be tomorrow?
To an extent, yes. We currently use our regional knowledge and local wind forecasts to estimate whether a bloom is likely to move, spread, or cause harm, and report the risk accordingly. However, we are working on improving our bloom movement predictive capability with coastal circulation models - so watch this space!
What other tools will be added to the website?
We would also like to include a "virtual buoy" tool, where a user can select a point anywhere on the ZA map and get a time-series of historic Chl-a or temperature. Similarly, we would like to provide a "bloom risk climatology", which will provide more information on where and how frequently blooms have occurred in the past along the ZA coast. Another tool would be the "snap-to" tool, which will enable users to select a location and view the previous date/image when a HAB occured in that particular region. We would also like to integrate cell counts and phytoplanton data from aquaculture facilities, as well as other opportunistic sources (buoys, fieldwork campaigns, etc) into the HAB DeST.