262
H.M. Beggs
GBRMPA’s ReefTemp 9 is a mapping product that provides information on coral
bleaching risk for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region. It produces high-resolution
now-casts of bleaching risk and provides an improved ability to monitor heat stress
in the Great Barrier Reef.
Seasonal forecasts from coupled ocean-atmosphere models can be used to predict
anomalous SST several months in advance. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology
has implemented operational seasonal forecasts of SST anomalies 10 over the Great
Barrier Reef to aid in the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park using
the operational POAMA seasonal dynamical prediction model (Spillman and Alves,
2009). In addition to SST anomalies, the system calculates a GBR index of the
areal average of monthly SST anomalies within the GBR study region as a useful
indicator of the likelihood of coral bleaching occurring.
15.7.1 Use of TIR
The NOAA Coral Reef Watch system uses the operational NOAA/NESDIS 0.5 ◦
nighttime AVHRR SST composites (Table 15.2) for near real-time monitoring of
thermal stress that can cause coral bleaching (Liu et al., 2009). The NOAA Reynolds
and Smith (Reynolds and Smith, 1994) weekly, 1 ◦ , OI v1 SST analyses are used
for producing the bleaching outlook. NOAA is transitioning to using the recently
implemented operational NOAA/NESDIS AVHRR Clear-Sky Processor for Oceans
(ACSPO) SST and POES-GOES Blended SST data (Table 15.4) for Coral Reef
Watch (Liu et al., 2009).
Australia’s ReefTemp uses the BoM/IMOS daily, 0.01 ◦ resolution, Mosaic
AVHRR SST product (Table 15.2) and a climatology produced by CSIRO Marine
and Atmospheric Research from HRPT AVHRR SST data (Griffin et al., 2004) to
produce its daily nowcasts of Degree Heating Weeks and Heating Rate to aid in the
management of the Great Barrier Reef (Maynard et al., 2008).
The BoM GBR SST Anomaly products use the weekly, 1 ◦ , Reynolds OI.v2 SST
(Reynolds and Smith, 1994; Reynolds et al., 2002).
15.7.2 TIR Requirements
Reef forecasting systems require highly robust instrumentation producing climate
quality SST at 2–10 m depth for long periods, and reporting that data in near realtime (Gramer et al., 2009; Liu et al., 2009). These systems require higher spatial
and temporal resolution than SST analysis and composite products currently used in
NOAA’s Reef Watch, with better coverage over shallow near-shore waters necessary
to effectively model differences in bleaching response between distinct sub-regions
of a reef system (Gramer et al., 2009 and references therein). Infrared SST 1 km
resolution SST observations from AVHRR and MODIS sensors on polar-orbiters
9 http://www.cmar.csiro.au/remotesensing/reeftemp/web/ReefTemp_application.htm
10 http://www.bom.gov.au/oceanography/oceantemp/GBR_SST.shtml
H.M. Beggs
GBRMPA’s ReefTemp 9 is a mapping product that provides information on coral
bleaching risk for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region. It produces high-resolution
now-casts of bleaching risk and provides an improved ability to monitor heat stress
in the Great Barrier Reef.
Seasonal forecasts from coupled ocean-atmosphere models can be used to predict
anomalous SST several months in advance. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology
has implemented operational seasonal forecasts of SST anomalies 10 over the Great
Barrier Reef to aid in the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park using
the operational POAMA seasonal dynamical prediction model (Spillman and Alves,
2009). In addition to SST anomalies, the system calculates a GBR index of the
areal average of monthly SST anomalies within the GBR study region as a useful
indicator of the likelihood of coral bleaching occurring.
15.7.1 Use of TIR
The NOAA Coral Reef Watch system uses the operational NOAA/NESDIS 0.5 ◦
nighttime AVHRR SST composites (Table 15.2) for near real-time monitoring of
thermal stress that can cause coral bleaching (Liu et al., 2009). The NOAA Reynolds
and Smith (Reynolds and Smith, 1994) weekly, 1 ◦ , OI v1 SST analyses are used
for producing the bleaching outlook. NOAA is transitioning to using the recently
implemented operational NOAA/NESDIS AVHRR Clear-Sky Processor for Oceans
(ACSPO) SST and POES-GOES Blended SST data (Table 15.4) for Coral Reef
Watch (Liu et al., 2009).
Australia’s ReefTemp uses the BoM/IMOS daily, 0.01 ◦ resolution, Mosaic
AVHRR SST product (Table 15.2) and a climatology produced by CSIRO Marine
and Atmospheric Research from HRPT AVHRR SST data (Griffin et al., 2004) to
produce its daily nowcasts of Degree Heating Weeks and Heating Rate to aid in the
management of the Great Barrier Reef (Maynard et al., 2008).
The BoM GBR SST Anomaly products use the weekly, 1 ◦ , Reynolds OI.v2 SST
(Reynolds and Smith, 1994; Reynolds et al., 2002).
15.7.2 TIR Requirements
Reef forecasting systems require highly robust instrumentation producing climate
quality SST at 2–10 m depth for long periods, and reporting that data in near realtime (Gramer et al., 2009; Liu et al., 2009). These systems require higher spatial
and temporal resolution than SST analysis and composite products currently used in
NOAA’s Reef Watch, with better coverage over shallow near-shore waters necessary
to effectively model differences in bleaching response between distinct sub-regions
of a reef system (Gramer et al., 2009 and references therein). Infrared SST 1 km
resolution SST observations from AVHRR and MODIS sensors on polar-orbiters
9 http://www.cmar.csiro.au/remotesensing/reeftemp/web/ReefTemp_application.htm
10 http://www.bom.gov.au/oceanography/oceantemp/GBR_SST.shtml