DevCoCast Lessons

Study of an algal bloom off the coast of Namibia

Using a phytoplankton bloom from the Benguela upwelling system as an example, this lesson shows how Bilko formulae may be used to create composites of images from several days. A separate mini-lesson shows how to fill small gaps in the data using median interpolation.
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Ocean colour products from the Mozambique Channel

Ocean optics commonly classifies water into two types: Case 1 water is open ocean water, where optical properties are influenced only by phytoplankton concentrations; Case 2 water is water where sediment and dissolved organic matter from land run-off also plays a role. Calculations of chlorophyll concentration must take this difference into account. The lesson uses data from MERIS and MODIS sensors to investigate this issue.
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Using Hovmöller plots to study propagating features (mini-lesson)

Hovmöller plots display time series data in a form that allows you to detect moving features such as planetary waves and eddies. This lesson uses 9km global global ocean colour data to show how to create a time series from a region of interest, use transects to create a Hovmöller plot, and how to create a time series of anomaly data.
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