PAPER ID: 22700

Satellite-Observed Monthly Variability of Sea Surface Chlorophyll-a Concentration: A Case Study in East Malaysia

Main Article Content

Ricky Kemarau
Universiti Malaysia Sabah

 

Abstract

The monsoon season plays a crucial role in influencing major economic activities in Malaysia. However, previous research on variability primarily focused on seawater in Indonesia, leaving a gap in studies regarding the effects of monsoon events on chlorophyll distribution in the South China Sea at the Malaysian scale. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the Northeast Monsoon (NEM) and Southwest Monsoon (SWM) on the variability of chlorophyll-a concentration distribution and the total number of fish landings in East Malaysia. To achieve this goal, MODIS data was utilized. Literature reviews have indicated that remote sensing reflectances at 443 and 555 nanometers were also employed to examine the influence of suspended sediment and organic matter, which may introduce bias to chlorophyll concentration measurements. Consequently, a higher phytoplankton absorption coefficient at 443 nanometers and a higher backscattering coefficient for dissolved and detrital material result in increased phytoplankton biomass and suspended sediment concentration. The investigation revealed that chlorophyll concentration content was higher during the SWM compared to the NEM. Likewise, the total number of fish landings was higher during the SWM, primarily due to the elevated distribution of chlorophyll concentration content during this season. These findings suggest that different monsoon seasons lead to varying total fish landings in the study area. Remote sensing technology effectively explains why fish catches are higher during the SWM than the NEM, based on the observed differences in chlorophyll dispersion. The provision of such information is crucial for fishermen as it helps them reduce operating costs.

 

References

Kemarau, R. A., & Eboy, O. V. 2021. The Impact of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on Temperature: A Case Study in Kuching, Sarawak. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 6(1), 289-297.

Noor, N. M., & Abdul Maulud, K. N. 2022. Coastal vulnerability: A brief review on integrated assessment in Southeast Asia. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 10(5), 595.

Sa'adi, Z., Yaseen, Z. M., Farooque, A. A., Mohamad, N. A., Muhammad, M. K. I., & Iqbal, Z. (2023). Long-term trend analysis of extreme climate in Sarawak tropical peatland under the influence of climate change. Weather and Climate Extremes, 40, 100554.

Wirasatriya, A., Susanto, R. D., Kunarso, K., Jalil, A. R., Ramdani, F., & Puryajati, A. D. 2021. Northwest monsoon upwelling within the Indonesian seas. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 42(14), 5433-5454.

Kemarau, R. A., & Eboy, O. V. 2021b. Application Remote Sensing in Study Influence Of El Niño Incident in 2015/2016 On the Amount of Rainfall in Sarawak. Journal of Techno-Social, 13(1), 12-22.

Welliken, M. K., & Melmambessy, E. H. 2019. Variability of chlorofil-a and sea surface temperature, the effect on the catches of Cakalang fish in Sawu Sea of East Nusa Tenggara. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 10(01), 715-723.

Lahlali, H., Wirasatriya, A., Gensac, E., Helmi, M., & Kismawardhani, R. A. 2018. Environmental aspects of tuna caught in the Indian Ocean, southern coast of Java, based on satellite measurements. In 2018 4th International Symposium on Geoinformatics (ISyG) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.

Shaari, F., & Mustapha, M. A.2017. Factors influencing the distribution of Chl-a along coastal waters of east Peninsular Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana, 46(8), 1191-1200.

Mohammad-Noor, N., Ong, F. S., & Anwar, W.2012. Seasonal distribution of HAB species in the East Coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 7: 431–438.

Yang Yuan-Jian, Xian Tao, Sun Liang & Fu Yun-Fei .2012. Summer Monsoon Impacts on Chlorophyll-a Concentration in the Middle of the South China Sea: Climatological Mean and Annual Variability, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters, 5:1, 15-19, DOI: 10.1080/16742834.2012.11446961.

Syahrizan, H. K., & Bachok, Z. 2018. Effect of monsoonal fluctuations on micro-phytoplankton and chlorophyll-a relationship in reefs ecosystems of South China Sea. J Sustain Sci Manag, 5, 191-201.

Sidik, M. J., Rashed, U. N. M., & Azharul, H. M. 2008. Distribution of phytoplankton community to environmental parameters in cage culture area of Sepanggar Bay, Sabah, Malaysia. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 80 (2): 251–60.

Shi, W.; Wang, M. 2007. Observations of a Hurricane Katrina-induced phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Mexico. Geophys. Res. Lett. 2007, 34, L11607. [CrossRef] 11.

Zheng, G.M.; Tang, D.L.2007. Offshore and nearshore chlorophyll increases induced by typhoon winds and subsequent terrestrial rainwater runoff. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 2007, 333, 61–74.

Loo, Y. Y., Billa, L., & Singh, A. 2015. Effect of climate change on seasonal monsoon in Asia and its impact on the variability of monsoon rainfall in Southeast Asia. Geoscience Frontiers, 6(6), 817-823.

Cruz, F. T., Narisma, G. T., Villafuerte II, M. Q., Chua, K. C., & Olaguera, L. M. 2013. A climatological analysis of the southwest monsoon rainfall in the Philippines. Atmospheric research, 122, 609-616.

Xu, T., Wei, Z., Li, S., Susanto, R. D., Radiarta, N., Yuan, C., ... & Trenggono, M. 2021. Satellite-observed multi-scale variability of sea surface chlorophyll-a concentration along the South Coast of the Sumatra-Java Islands. Remote Sensing, 13(14), 2817.

Huyer, A. (1983). Coastal upwelling in the California Current System. Progress in Oceanography, 12(3), 259-284. doi:10.1016/0079-6611(83)90010-1.

Pickett, M. H., & Paduan, J. D. (2003). Ekman transport and pumping in the California Current based on the U.S. Navy’s high-resolution atmospheric model (COAMPS). Journal of Geophysical Research, 108(C10), 3327. doi:10.1029/2003JC001902.

Behrenfeld, M. J., & Falkowski, P. G. (1997). Photosynthetic rates derived from satellite‐based chlorophyll concentration. Limnology and Oceanography, 42(1), 1-20.

Chavez, F. P., & Messie, M. (2009). A comparison of Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems. Progress in Oceanography, 83(1-4), 80-96.

Capone, D. G., & Hutchins, D. A. (2013). Microbial biogeochemistry of coastal upwelling regimes in a changing ocean. Nature Geoscience, 6(9), 711-717.

Strub, P. T., & James, C. (2000). Altimeter-derived surface circulation in the large-scale NE Pacific Gyres. Part 2: 1997–1998 El Niño anomalies. Progress in Oceanography, 47(2-4), 227-261. doi:10.1016/S0079-6611(00)00037-5.

Barber, R. T., & Chavez, F. P. (1983). Biological consequences of El Niño. Science, 222(4629), 1203-1210. doi:10.1126/science.222.4629.1203.

Colak-Sabanci, F. 2014. Phytoplankton distribution and its relationship to the physicochemical environment in a coastal lagoon. Ecology, 72: 61–72.

Petrou, K., Kranz, S. A., Trimborn, S., Hassler, C. S., Ameijeiras, S. B., Sackett, O., Ralph, P. J., & Davidson, A. T. 2016. Southern Ocean phytoplankton physiology in a changing climate. Journal of Plant Physiology, 203: 135-150.

Ho, D. J., Maryam, D. S., Jafar-Sidik, M., & Aung, T. (2013). Influence of weather conditions on pelagic fish landings in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Tropical Biology & Conservation (JTBC), 10.

Kemarau, R. A., Noor, N. M., Eboy, O. V., Sieng, K. T., Norliati, N., Nor, F. M., & Suab, S. A. (2023). Fenomena El Niño dan impak terhadap hasil tangkapan ikan: Kajian kes di Sabah, Malaysia. Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 19(3), 216-232.

Vickers, A. J. (2003). How many repeated measures in repeated measures designs? Statistical issues for comparative trials. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 3, 1-9.

Delaney, H. D. (2003). Designing experiments and analyzing data: A model comparison perspective. Routledge.