Geographia Technica, Vol 18, Issue 2, 2023, pp. 238-248
INVESTIGATION OF CHLOROPHYLL-A VARIABILITY IN RED SEA USING SATELLITE-BASED METEOROLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY DATA
Anton Satria PRABUWONO 
, KUNARSO , Anindya WIRASATRIYA , Satria ANTONI
ABSTRACT: The Red Sea has a special geographical feature because it is situated in the tropical and subtropical zones. The uniqueness of the Red Sea makes a variability of oceanography data (Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), current, Salinity, etc.) and meteorological data (Precipitation, Wind Speed, etc.). However, investigations of differences interaction of oceanography and meteorology are less studied in of the Red Sea. Satellites and modeling make it possible to observe oceanographic and meteorological data over a long period of time. This study first demonstrates that there are three major areas along the Red Sea that represent the different Chl-a concentrations during the rainy season. The month of July has the highest Chl-a concentration in the south (1.3 mg/m3) and the lowest Chl-a concentration in the north (0.18 mg/m3). The southern part of the Red Sea has a different generation mechanism from the northern part of the Red Sea in terms of increasing and decreasing Chl-a concentrations. The existence of surface runoff in this area may result in the supply of anthropogenic organic compounds and fresh water to coastal waters. This may increase the supply of nutrients at the peak of the rainy season, and finally increase the concentration of Chl-a in the southern part. In the middle part, the variability of Chl-a is mainly affected by wind speed. Meanwhile, the high salinity in the northern part may limit the growth of phytoplankton and keep the Chl-a concentration low.
Keywords: Chlorophyll-a, Precipitation, Salinity, Surface Runoff, Red Sea
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