Dr. Peter Miller, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK

This talk presents a new technique to improve interpretation of harmful algal bloom (HAB) risk by combining Lagrangian trajectories and satellite observations. The algorithm predicts short term variations in both chlorophyll-a concentration and spectral properties of the water, which are important for discrimination of different algal species from satellite ocean colour. Hydrodynamics are predicted by an operational setup of the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) on an unstructured grid to allow higher resolution around complex coastlines; and ocean colour data are advected hourly by the particle tracking model PyLAG. Unique animations improve interpretation of the development of HABs, and the approach offers a powerful tool for monitoring the marine ecosystem and for supporting the aquaculture industry with improved early warning of potential HABs. We have engaged with shellfish and finfish farms through Interreg Atlantic Area project PRIMROSE and BBSRC project Safe and Sustainable Shellfish.

Fronts – the boundaries between water masses, in coastal and oceanic regions – are hotspots for rich and diverse marine life. This research is based on the composite front map approach, which is to combine the location, strength and persistence of all fronts detected on EO sea-surface temperature (SST) or ocean colour data over several days into a single map, improving interpretation of dynamic mesoscale structures. These techniques are robust and generic, and have been applied to many studies of physical oceanography, marine animal distribution, biodiversity and marine debris.