PnB Project
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Introduction

Background

Project Overview

Sea Water
Properties

PnB Data Files

El Niño Plume
Example

Algal Bloom
Example

Images from
the Channel

Glossary

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Data collected by the Plumes and Blooms project help scientists everywhere to study the potential impacts of storm runoff in the ocean. These impacts include possible changes in light conditions for phytoplankton, the spread of terrestrial sediments, and the impacts of possibly human related pollution.

Data produced by the plumes and blooms project is also used to model "the color of the sea". This is done in the field by a radiometer and in space using modern satellite imagery. At first this concept might seem strange but in reality it is an excellent use of the data. Modern satellites can easily take detailed pictures of the ocean surface. The color of the sea is directly related to the particulate and dissolved materials it contains. A green sea should have a high phytoplankton population, while a brown colored sea would have a high sediment load. By matching the raw "Plumes and Blooms" data with satellite images scientist can determine what properties are common to certain sea surface colors. For instance, if the "Plumes and Blooms" data shows an Algal Bloom and the satellite image of that part of the sea is a certain color of green then it can be assumed that wherever the ocean is that color it will contain a similar compliment of phytoplankton and sediment.

SeaWif image (click here for larger image)

This type of data helps scientist to better understand and manage the complex marine environment found in the Santa Barbara Channel and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

A large amount of discrete data is collected on each Plumes and Blooms cruise.

This is a typical "plumes and blooms" data set...Click here to view complete image

When looking at the actual data sets the volume of numbers can be confusing at first. However when a single attribute or group of attributes are examined the usefulness of the data becomes much more apparent.

Click here to see Explanation of PnB Data Set Parameters

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