Sinaya Dayan

Geobiophysical Modeling of Phytoplankton and Nutrients: Remote Sensing and Gis Modeling in Haifa Bay, Israel Sinaya Dayan

The global effort to monitor the water quality and productivity in the marine biosphere, regulating practices of wastewater discharge, and mitigating the environmental impact, requires extensive data collection of In-Situ measurements, a time consuming and costly option. Remote sensing provides a collection platform with field sampling by which water quality and ocean health are assessed. Coupled with GIS, these two technologies allow frequent monitoring, Geospatial analysis, and environmental modeling that predict and simulate future conditions. Two geobiophysical models are presented: terrestrial and marine. The first model identifies sources for terrestrial inputs causing the elevated levels of nutrients, which in turn increase the primary production of the marine ecosystem. The second model validates remote sensing algorithms for the detection of Chlorophyll in an oceanic setting. This is achieved by examining the relationship between In-Situ measured Chlorophyll concentrations and reflectance value. The terrestrial and the marine geobiophysical models offer an alternative approach to the common monitoring techniques as well as provide tools for sustainable development.