CHANGED PATTERNS OF REMOTELY SENSED CHLOROPHYLL A IN THE ADRIATIC-INFLUENCE OF METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS

Abstract

The patterns of spatial distribution of pigment concentrations in the Adriatic Sea were studied using remotely sensed data from the CZCS (1978-1986), SeaWiFS data from 1997-2000 and 2003, Color POLDER (CNES) data for 1997, and some other data. In the earlier investigations, open waters of the Middle and especially the Southern Adriatic were considered almost oligotrophic regions. Although the pollution-induced changes were reflected from time to time in the whole Adriatic, the southern portion seemed to remain the least productive. Contrary to this, the recent evidence was found for the increased productivity of this southern region in some periods. The patterns of pigment distribution were the result of the meteorological forcing, which influenced oceanographic phenomena like water stratification, upwelling, stronger inflows of Mediterranean water into the Adriatic, etc. The satellite methods allowed frequent measurements of the sea, and the possibility to observe changes at the synoptic scale compared to the ship based cruises whose results might have been considerably influenced by undersampling