Cover of Rapid Assessment of Australian MPAs using Satellite Remote Sensing part 2

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Rapid Assessment of Australian MPAs using Satellite Remote Sensing - Part 2: Validation of Biological Response to Physical Environment

Report to Environment Australia

A. J. Hobday
CSIRO Marine Research
Report for Environment Australia, 2001

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Rapid Assessment of Australian MPAs using Satellite Remote Sensing - Part 2: Validation of Biological Response to Physical Environment (PDF - 127 KB)

About the report

This report describes a field study on the relationship between in situ vital signs that can be measured by satellite and one higher order biological variable. Before satellite derived data can be used to make predictions about the biological response to the physical environment, the in situ relationships must be validated. The study took place in the Great Australian Bight Marine Protected Area in February, 2001. The in situ vital signs were SST and chlorophyll, while the biological variable was zooplankton volume.

No significant relationships between zooplankton volume and SST or chlorophyll were found for day or night samples during this two week sampling period. Insufficient variation in the physical environment was encountered during the cruise for good tests of the relationship between the physical variables and zooplankton. Longer studies that encompass a wider range of variation are required to achieve this understanding.