POSTER SESSION 2
10:30–12:30, Tuesday, September 15
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
ABSTRACT 1088 | POSTER 194
COASTAL FRONTAL ZONE SATELLITE DETECTION AND VARIABILITY OVER GRAY’S REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
The Coastal Frontal Zone (CFZ) is a ~400 km long, high turbidity, low salinity water mass extending along the southeastern United States continental shelf. Formed through the mixing of riverine and estuarine discharge with shelf waters, the CFZ functions as a dynamic physical and biogeochemical barrier. Its position varies seasonally and interannually, with potential consequences for benthic habitats and ecosystem processes due to light limitation and sediment influx. This region hosts the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) and is being assessed for new artificial coral reef deployments. While the existence of the CFZ is well documented, variability in its position, spatial extent, and interactions with GRNMS remains poorly quantified. This study develops and evaluates satellite-based methods to detect the CFZ and characterize its multi-year variability relative to GRNMS using Sentinel-3 OLCI data. Three approaches are tested to define the CFZ edge: (1) a single-parameter method based on the diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (Kd490), (2) a multi-parameter approach combining Kd490, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a, and CDOM absorption, and (3) the Belkin-O’Reilly Algorithm (BOA). Processing methods include Gaussian smoothing, gradient computation, and Sobel and Canny edge detection, with BOA incorporating median filtering and histogram-based thresholding. Initial results demonstrate successful CFZ detection using Kd490 and BOA on Level-2 data. Ongoing work includes implementing the multi-parameter method, comparing with single-parameter methods, and generating a 2016–2026 timeseries. The resulting frequency of CFZ events over GRNMS will support assessments of turbidity trends and inform sanctuary management and artificial reef prospects in the region.
Sara Rivero-Calle, UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7538-0429
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
