Satellite images of the ocean
Help understand ocean variability
My name is Andre Valente and I am a physical satellite oceanographer at MARE center of the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Here you can find some of my work.
I study the dynamics of the upper ocean and its effects on marine ecosystem using satellite remote sensing data. I am particular interested in using satellite ocean colour data and integrating multi-decadal satellite data records (ocean colour, SST and currents) with in-situ observations (e.g. ARGOs, moorings and cruise data) and model outputs (e.g. atmospheric and oceanic reanalysis).
Previous works focus on: 1) effects of atmospheric and physical oceanographic variability in phytoplankton, 2) island-mass effect, 3) dynamics of coastal turbidity, 4) temperature and salinity decadal variations, and 5) in-situ bio-optical data for ocean colour applications.
Main regions of study are the Azores Archipelago, Northeast Atlantic, Western Iberia and Black Sea.
Feel free to contact me for cooperation.
Satellite images of sea surface height show hills (red colors) and valleys (blue colors). Circulation is clockwise in hills and anticlockwise in valleys. The moving dots are drifters at surface (circles) and ~1000 m (squares, these are ARGO). Lines indicate their trajectories in previous 30 days. The region is around Azores (you can see the islands and Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the fixed contours). Hit play to see how water was moving in 2009. Note how drifters tend to follow the sea surface height and how deep topography modulates circulation even at the surface (e.g. note how drifters are blocked by the ridge that runs southeastward from the Azores islands).
