BajaBruno - 7-10-2007 at 10:23 PM
What is the benefit of satellite chlorophyll data in fish detection? I see the benefit of sea surface temps, but what does chlorophyll data tell us?
Osprey - 7-11-2007 at 05:50 AM
Bruno, as I understand it lots of tiny fish feed on phytoplankton, bigger fish feed on them and so on. Fishermen I know who have the GPS picture of
the concentrations fish on the division line (where the green stuff stops) and claim to have good sucess.
I think Terrafin has the daily pictures for an annual fee.
Don Alley - 7-11-2007 at 06:35 AM
Chlorophyll content is an indicator of water clarity and color. Water with high chlorophyll content tends to be "green" and visibility is poor. Water
with low chlorophyll tends to be clear and blue. Some species, especially dorado and billfish, prefer the clear blue waters, perhaps because they are
sight feeders. And frequently there are distinct edges between high and low zones that offer the best of both worlds, high food content on one side
and good clarity and visibility on the other.
In the SOC chlorophyll usually correlates with surface temperature, and the greener chlorophyll laden waters usually result from upwellings of deep,
colder water where nutrients have settled.