Incorporating ecosystem services in marine planning: The role of valuation

This paper scrutinises the use of ecosystem service valuation for marine planning. Lessons are drawn from the development and use of environmental valuation and cost-benefit analysis for policy-making in the US and the UK. Current approaches to marine planning in both countries are presented and the role that ecosystem service valuation could play in this context is outlined. This includes highlighting the steps in the marine planning process where valuation can inform marine planning and policy-making as well as a discussion of methodological challenges to ecosystem service valuation techniques in the context of marine planning. Recommendations to overcome existing barriers are offered based on the synergies and the thinking in the two countries regarding the application of ecosystem service valuation to marine planning.

Composite front maps for improved visibility of dynamic sea-surface features on cloudy SeaWiFS and AVHRR data

Novel techniques have been developed for increasing the value of cloud-affected sequences of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sea-surface temperature (SST) data and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean colour data for visualising dynamic physical and biological oceanic processes such as fronts, eddies and blooms. The proposed composite front map approach is to combine the location, strength and persistence of all fronts observed over several days into a single map, which allows intuitive interpretation of mesoscale structures. This method achieves a synoptic view without blurring dynamic features, an inherent problem with conventional time-averaging compositing methods. Objective validation confirms a significant improvement in feature visibility on composite maps compared to individual front maps. A further novel aspect is the automated detection of ocean colour fronts, correctly locating 96% of chlorophyll fronts in a test data set. A sizeable data set of 13,000 AVHRR and 1200 SeaWiFS scenes automatically processed using this technique is applied to the study of dynamic processes off the Iberian Peninsula such as mesoscale eddy generation, and many additional applications are identified. Front map animations provide a unique insight into the evolution of upwelling and eddies.

Phytoplankton phenology indices in coral reef ecosystems: Application to ocean-color observations in the Red Sea

Phytoplankton, at the base of the marine food web, represent a fundamental food source in coral reef ecosystems. The timing (phenology) and magnitude of the phytoplankton biomass are major determinants of trophic interactions. The Red Sea is one of the warmest and most saline basins in the world, characterized by an arid tropical climate regulated by the monsoon. These extreme conditions are particularly challenging for marine life. Phytoplankton phenological indices provide objective and quantitative metrics to characterize phytoplank- ton seasonality. The indices i.e. timings of initiation, peak, termination and duration are estimated here using 15 years (1997–2012) of remote sensing ocean-color data from the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative project (OC-CCI) in the entire Red Sea basin. The OC-CCI product, comprising merged and bias-corrected observations from three independent ocean-color sensors (SeaWiFS, MODIS and MERIS), and processed using the POLYMER algorithm (MERIS period), shows a significant increase in chlorophyll data cover- age, especially in the southern Red Sea during the months of summer NW monsoon. In open and reef-bound coastal waters, the performance of OC-CCI chlorophyll data is shown to be comparable with the performance of other standard chlorophyll products for the global oceans. These features have permitted us to investigate phytoplankton phenology in the entire Red Sea basin, and during both winter SE monsoon and summer NW monsoon periods. The phenological indices are estimated in the four open water provinces of the basin, and further examined at six coral reef complexes of particular socio-economic importance in the Red Sea, including Siyal Islands, Sharm El Sheikh, Al Wajh bank, Thuwal reefs, Al Lith reefs and Farasan Islands. Most of the open and deeper waters of the basin show an apparent higher chlorophyll concentration and longer duration of phyto- plankton growth during the winter period (relative to the summer phytoplankton growth period). In contrast, most of the reef-bound coastal waters display equal or higher peak chlorophyll concentrations and equal or lon- ger duration of phytoplankton growth during the summer period (relative to the winter phytoplankton growth period). The ecological and biological significance of the phytoplankton seasonal characteristics are discussed in context of ecosystem state assessment, and particularly to support further understanding of the structure and functioning of coral reef ecosystems in the Red Sea.