MOCHA Bloom Detection Products

Two bloom products were developed for the Oregon coast based on the observed change between running 8-day composite chlorophyll-a (CHL) and fluorescence line-height (FLH) products obtained by the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectraradiometer aboard Aqua (MODIS-Aqua). The CHL_rel and FLH_rel products, respectively, were optimized to detect bloom onset via satellite in Oregon's coastal waters, a region typified by high frequency biological variance yet pervasive cloud cover. The products are based on running relative differences between successive 8-day products: a "current" composite (an average of the previous 8 days) and a "reference" composite (an average of the 8-day period immediately preceeding the current composite). The reference is differenced from the current, then the result is normalized to the reference. Resulting daily imagery highlights the geographic locations of greatest relative change observed between weekly average CHL and FLH over time, providing a way to track onset and advection of active blooms over time; in concert with in situ data, these products inform MOCHA's HAB monitoring efforts through remote identification and monitoring of mesoscale blooms.

Click on the images to right to see an archive of products for the Oregon coast. Currently archive images span 2011 to present.