Grace Su ( grace@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov) (301) 286-9494
Applicant's Name: Michel Slepoukha Institution: SEAS - IRD Address: IRD La Reunion BP 172 97492 Sainte Clotilde Cedex Telephone: (262) 262 29 56 29 Fax Number: (262) 262 28 48 79 E-mail Address: slep@la-reunion.ird.fr Type of Temporary Agreement requested: An agreement that temporarily enables a non-real time SeaWiFS HRPT station to decrypt real-time data and release it to the Authorized Users list. Time period of temporary agreement: Dates (month/day/year): 04/28/2004 - 05/25/2004 05/26/2004 - 06/08/2004 SeaWiFS HRPT Station to provide data: HREU List of Authorized Users to access real-time data. 1. Michel Slepoukha (Station Manager, SEAS -IRD) 2. Dr. Francis Marsac (Head, Research Group THETIS, IRD) Project Title: Trophic Ecology in Large Marine Ecosystems (ECOTEM) Investigator(s): Francis Marsac Funding Agency(s): IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement) Description of the Research Project and Justification for Real-time SeaWiFS Data: ECOTEM comprises a series of oceanographic cruises aiming at describing the space time variability and diversity of prey species of large pelagic predators in large marine ecosystems. A cruise (ECOTEM-6) is being planned for the period May 1-31, 2004, in the South Mozambique Channel (Indian Ocean). The field work combines hydrological stations, analysis of in situ chlorophyll pigment concentrations (using the HPLC method), dual frequency acoustic surveys (for discrimination of the surface and mid-water nektonic communities, and analysis of the diel behaviour), and sampling of stomach contents captured with a longline gear (the predators acting as samplers of the pelagic fauna). Estimation of the abundance of seabirds (by line transect sampling) and analysis of dietary behavior of seabirds in the colonies will complement the field work. The whole set of observations is dedicated to modelling typical pelagic food webs. In this perspective, the availability of real-time sea colour data by satellite is a key importance for an ad hoc daily planning of the cruise. Then, it will be possible to focus the activity on contrasted situations (productive vs oligotrophic areas), which are often observed in the Mozambique Channel. The satellite real time data will be used exclusively for research purposes, in the framework of the ECOTEM programme.