Quantification of Typhoon-Induced Phytoplankton Blooms Using Satellite Multi-Sensor Data

Using satellite-based multi-sensor observations, this study investigates Chl-a blooms induced by typhoons in the Northwest Pacific (NWP) and the South China Sea (SCS), and quantifies the blooms via wind-induced mixing and Ekman pumping parameters, as well as pre-typhoon mixed-layer depth (MLD). In the NWP, the Chl-a bloom is more correlated with the Ekman pumping than with the other two parameters, with an R2 value of 0.56. In the SCS, the wind-induced mixing and Ekman pumping have comparable correlations with the Chl-a increase, showing R2 values of 0.4~0.6. However, the MLD exhibits a negative correlation with the Chl-a increase. A multi-parameter quantification model of the Chl-a bloom strength achieves better results than the single-parameter regressions, yielding a more significant R2 value of 0.80, and a lower regression rms of 0.18 mg•m−3 in the SCS, and the R2 value in the NWP is also improved compared with the single-parameter regressions. The multi-parameter quantification model of Chl-a blooms is more accurate in the SCS than in the NWP, due to the fact that nutrient profiles in the NWP are uniform from surface to a deep depth (300 m). Thus, the Chl-a blooms are more correlated with the upper ocean dynamical processes in the SCS where a shallower nutricline is found.