Monitoring the Influence of the Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics on Phytoplanktonic Plumes around the Marquesas Islands Using Multi-Satellite Missions

A study of the Marquesas Islands reveals that mesoscale ocean dynamics play a crucial role in shaping and dispersing phytoplanktonic plumes, which are significantly enhanced near these islands. The research combines in situ observations from a 2018 oceanographic cruise with satellite data to investigate two distinct phytoplankton blooms north and south of the archipelago. Lagrangian diagnostics confirmed that chlorophyll-a (Chl) plumes originate from the islands and are advected by ocean currents. Further analysis using Finite-size Lyaponov Exponent and frontogenesis diagnostics showed that a mesoscale cyclonic eddy in the south and converging fronts with finer-scale dynamic activity in the north influence the formation and dispersion of these plumes. These findings suggest that fertilization from the islands themselves may promote phytoplankton growth, while advection plays a key role in dispersing and shaping the plumes under contrasting dynamical regimes.

Cassianides, A., Martinez, E., Maes, C., Carton, X., & Gorgues, T. (2020). Monitoring the Influence of the Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics on Phytoplanktonic Plumes around the Marquesas Islands Using Multi-Satellite Missions. Remote Sensing, 12(16), 2520. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12162520