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Application of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) Water Column Component (WC) to data derived by the Naval Research Lab (NRL) Automated Processing System (APS) modeling of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Imagery from the Aqua Earth Orbiting Satellite (EOS) PM in the Northern Gulf of Mexico from 2005-01 to 2009-12 (NCEI Accession 0094007)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: January 26, 2026 | Last Modified: 2013-02-26T00:00:00.000+00:00
Satellite-derived data for sea surface temperature, salinity, chlorophyll; euphotic depth; and modeled bottom to surface temperature differences were evaluated to assess the utility of these products as proxies for in situ measurements. The data were used to classify surface waters in three regions of the Gulf of Mexico using subcomponents and modifiers from the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) Water Column Component (WC) to determine if CMECS categories could be effectively used to categorize in situ data into meaningful management units. The Naval Research Laboratory at the Stennis Space Center (NRL/SSC) processed MODIS-Aqua satellite imagery covering the Gulf of Mexico from January 2005 to December 2009. Daily, level-1B image files from the NASA LAADS Web were processed through the NRL/SSC Automated Processing System (APS). Sea surface temperature and salinity were classified into CMECS WC temperature and salinity subcomponent categories, respectively. Three modifiers from the WC were also used for the pelagic classification: water column stability, productivity, and photic quality. Modeled bottom to surface temperature differences were used to assign classification for water column stability, surface chlorophyll was used to determine productivity, and euphotic depth was used to indicate the photic quality. Maps showing the CMECS Water Column Component classes for chlorophyll concentration, euphotic depth, sea surface salinity, sea surface temperature (HDF4), and bottom-to-surface temperatures (netCDF) were produced from the APS output images.

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0094007 CHLOROPHYLL PHYTOPLANKTON PRODUCTIVITY SALINITY SALINITY - SURFACE WATER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE WATER TEMPERATURE MODIS satellite data Aqua US National Aeronautic and Space Administration US Navy/Naval Research Laboratory - Stennis MS US DOC/NOAA/NOS/Coastal Services Center Gulf of Mexico oceanography DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce DOC/NOAA/NOS/CSC > Coastal Services Center, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Biotic Component > Planktonic Biota > Phytoplankton Modifiers > Biological Modifiers > Phytoplankton Productivity Modifiers > Physicochemical Modifiers > Photic Quality > Photic Modifiers > Physicochemical Modifiers > Salinity Regime (Modifier) Modifiers > Physicochemical Modifiers > Temperature Range Modifiers > Physicochemical Modifiers > Turbidity Type > Chlorophyll (Turbidity Type) Water Column Component Water Column Component > Salinity Regime Water Column Component > Temperature Regime Water Column Component > Water Column Layer > Estuarine Coastal Surface Layer Water Column Component > Water Column Layer > Marine Oceanic Epipelagic Upper Layer EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > PROTISTS > PLANKTON > PHYTOPLANKTON EARTH SCIENCE > CLIMATE INDICATORS > ATMOSPHERIC/OCEAN INDICATORS > SURFACE SALINITY EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > CHLOROPHYLL EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN TEMPERATURE > SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN TEMPERATURE > WATER TEMPERATURE EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SALINITY/DENSITY > SALINITY MODIS > Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Aqua > Earth Observing System, Aqua Aqua (ICES code: 33V4, 2002-2016) OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF MEXICO Alabama Gulf of Mexico Louisiana Mississippi Texas Western Florida

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