Chapter 5 Retrieve your own Chlorophyll

Introduction

In this module you’ll learn to work with data with a geographical component. There are several software packages available that enable this. They differ in whether you need to install software or not. You can use it as if you are gaming, but all are used in real situations by professionals.

•	Information about the North Sea coastal zone
WATeRS < http://ivm10.ivm.vu.nl/mapserver/waters > allows you to combine or compare geographic information. With geographic information we mean information that is linked to a location on this earth with coordinates. Satellite data can be included in such a system. A well known system is Google Earth < http://earth.google.com/ >
Try to Open WATeRS and play with the buttons on the screen. Try to match some of the examples of this handout. Note that WATeRS currently doesn't hold satellite information about chlorophyll concentrations. As an alternative we suggest Google Earth.

BEAM < http://www.brockmann-consult.de/beam/ > requires software installation and quite a lot of subsequnet interaction. We suggest that you either look at a demonstration from your teacher or work with the screenshots below.
Discuss how satellite data gives information about:
·  Ecosystems: Eutrophication indicator threshold 
·  Health: Extraction of CHL values at certain locations 

•	Ecosystems: Eutrophication indicator threshold 
You can use image-processing software to can extract information about eutrophication. 

Chlorophyll concentrations over 15 micrograms per litre are shaded pink.

•	Health: Extraction of CHL values at certain locations

Evolution of a phytoplankton bloom (time series analysis): red is high, blue is low.

Subsequent extraction of values at a certain location near Spiekeroog: median in March, April, May and June.
References

Eleveld, M.A., Wagtendonk, A.J., Pasterkamp, R., de Reus, N. (2007). WATeRS: An open Web Map Service with near-real time MODIS Level-2 standard chlorophyll products of the North Sea. International Journal of Remote Sensing 28 (16), 3693–3699. 
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all?content=10.1080/01431160701253204

Peters, S.W.M., Eleveld, M., Pasterkamp, R., Woerd, H. van der, Devolder, M, Jans, S., Park, Y., Ruddick, K, Block, T., Brockmann, C., Doerffer, R, Krasemann, H., Röttgers, R., Schönfeld, W., Jorgensen, P.V., Tilstone, G., Martinez-Vicente, V., Moore, G, Sørensen, K., Høkedal, J., Johnsen, T.M, Lømsland, E.R. & Aas, E. (2005). Atlas of chlorophyll-a concentration for the North Sea based on MERIS imagery of 2003. Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit, 121 pp.
http://www.brockmann-consult.de/revamp/