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 Remote sensing of the oceans is a fascinating area of study and one whose uses and applications are continuously increasing. Remote sensing means using technology (such as satellites orbiting the Earth) to observe, thus taking data measurements indirectly or ‘remotely’. What is especially great about remote sensing is that it makes collecting data over a large area easy and effortless. It has particularly immense and vast applications for the observation of the oceans, as this subject of study is also particularly immense and vast.

As an intern for ReefDoctor, I am undertaking a research project analyzing satellite imagery of the Bay of Ranobe. The three datasets collected by the MODIS Aqua satellite that I am using for my study are sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a (a proxy for productivity), and suspended matter. I have both a spatial and temporal plethora of data, with the datasets spanning daily images for the entire southwest coast of Madagascar from July 2002 to July 2011. My first order of business was to create monthly averages for the bay using the SeaDAS program, which is specific to the MODIS satellite. After data processing I used R, a statistical analysis program, to ascertain seasonal trends and trends for the whole time period. I also made a regional comparison between the northern and southern halves of the bay. An interesting result that I have is that the bay’s temperature seems to be increasing over the whole time period, while the productivity is decreasing. This trend would have great implications for the health of the bay and for the conservation work we are doing at ReefDoctor. I hope to continue this study by making a regional comparison between the Bay of Ranobe and other systems along the southwest coast; I am also planning on comparing the satellite data to data collected in the field by ReefDoctor.

Stay tuned to RD blog to find out what next implications are for the Bay!

-Lauren

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