Developing a Greater Understanding of Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems using NASA Earth Observations

Abstract:

Rocky intertidal ecosystems along the pacific north coast are sensitive to the changing climate because they are strongly affected by anthropogenic, biotic, and abiotic processes. While there are several methods to measure, monitor, and model different properties and functions of these important ecosystems, many of those methods are spatially and temporally limited. Utilizing remotely sensed satellite observations in conjunction with in situ observations can offer a greater understanding of the spatial variation of certain biotic and abiotic properties.

The purpose of this research was to utilize NASA Earth Observations and in situ observations to better understand the temporal and spatial variation of several ecosystems properties (i.e. sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a concentration (chl-a), and oceanic surface currents), to predict physiological responses (i.e. body temperature and body growth) of the ecosystem engineer, the California mussel (Mytilus californianus). Using decision trees and other modeling methods, we determined important predictor variables for mussel growth. Furthermore, while remotely sensed satellite observations were not able to capture the fine scale resolution of many of the variables, they were able to explain the spatial variation much better than the in situ observations. Satellite observations coupled with in situ observations further enhanced our understanding of the temporal and spatial variation in biological and physical processes along the pacific north coast.