Remote sensing of phytoplankton distribution in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Analysis of high-resolution 4 km sea surface temperature, Chlorophyll a (Chl a), and wind datasets provides a detailed description of the spatio-temporal seasonal succession of phytoplankton biomass in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on-board aqua platform (MODIS Aqua) data andsynoptic observations in the Red Sea, Chl a varies from north to south, with the northern part appearing to be oligotrophic. This is likely due to the absence of strong mixing and low nutrient intrusion in comparison to the southern part during winter. In the Gulf of Aden, the emergence of upwelling cell is clearly evident along the coast of Yemen, and is only distinct from the summer-autumn seasons. Most notable is the pulsating nature of the upwelling, with warm and cold events clearly distinguished with phytoplankton response to this physical forcing also evident. The phytoplankton biomass distribution varies considerably between the two regions of study. In both study areas, water temperature and prevailing winds control nutrient concentrations.