Evaluating tropical phytoplankton phenology metrics using contemporary tools.

ABSTRACT: The timing of phytoplankton growth (phenology) in tropical oceans is a crucial factor influencing the survival rates of higher trophic levels, food web structure and the functioning of coral reef ecosystems. Phytoplankton phenology is thus categorised as an 'ecosystem indicator', which can be utilised to assess ecosystem health in response to environmental and climatic perturbations. Ocean-colour remote sensing is currently the only technique providing global, long-term, synoptic estimates of phenology. However, due to limited available in situ datasets, studies dedicated to the validation of satellite-derived phenology metrics are sparse. The recent development of autonomous oceanographic observation platforms provides an opportunity to bridge this gap. Here, we use satellite-derived surf

SUBMITTER: Gittings JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6345824 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature