Aircraft

Images courtesy of the Choptank River Index Site

Aircraft remote sensing was initiated in 1989 to study phytoplankton dynamics in Chesapeake Bay, focusing on seasonal and inter-annual variability imposed by climate and weather. Using radiometers – "ocean color" and temperature sensors – more than 400 flights have generated data on chlorophyll and temperature for the main stem of the estuary. A companion study was begun in 1999 to study two important tributaries, the Choptank River on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the Patuxent River on the Western Shore.

Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Program

The Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Program website (www.cbrsp.org) presents data and information from aircraft remote sensing of chlorophyll and temperature for the Bay. Observations span from 1989 to 2006 and comprise the largest set of remotely sensed data for any estuary. Imagery from flights and ancillary information on recent estuarine conditions are consolidated in this web site.

This site also presents data on primary productivity (PP) for Chesapeake Bay estimated by applying published models (Harding et al., 2002 - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 55: 437-463) to remotely-sensed measurements.

Choptank River Index

The Choptank River Index is part of an EPA/NASA/NOAA Coastal Intensive Site Network (CISNet) to study ecosystem responses of this important eastern shore tributary of Chesapeake Bay. The web site presents results of the several components of the program, including remotely-sensed data and information on chlorophyll and temperature for the Patuxent and Choptank Rivers, tributaries that drain watersheds with strongly contrasting land use and land cover.

Useful Links

Maryland Sea Grant Research

Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Program: An Education and Outreach Initiative (R/E-20). Lawrence W. Harding, Jr., William C. Boicourt and Thomas C. Malone (2000-2001)

Assimilation Modeling of Planktonic Processes In Chesapeake Bay with Aircraft and Satellite Ocean Color Data (R/P-44). Lawrence W. Harding, Jr. and Raleigh R. Hood (1998-1999)

Phytoplankton Biomass and Nutrient Loading Relations for the Chesapeake Bay from Aircraft Remote Sensing (R/P-24). Lawrence W. Harding, Jr. and Eric Itsweire (1990-1995)