Remotely Sensed Chlorophyll-A Variability in the Straits of Malacca

Studies on the marine plankton in Malaysian waters are limited, and most of the studies have been mainly taxonomic and qualitative in nature. The present study investigates the spatial and temporal distribution of SeaWiFS derived-chlorophyll-a in the Straits of Malacca. A period of six consecutive years from 1998 to 2003 is studied. Validation of in situ chlorophyll-a measurements with their corresponding SeaWiFS chlorophyll-a data is carried out. The correlation of sea surface temperature (SST) with the temporal chlorophyll-a data is investigated. The relationship between the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) values and chlorophyll-a data is discussed. Finally, the correlation of marine fish landings with chlorophyll-a data is revealed. SeaWiFS Data Analysis System (SeaDAS) has been used in SeaWiFS chlorophyll-a data analysis. In its typical use for the study of chlorophyll-a variability in tropical cloudy areas, ocean colour imagery is often binned in space and time. Comparison of in situ and SeaWiFS derived chlorophyll-a reveals that there is a moderate, positive correlation (r = 0.51) between the in situ and SeaWiFS chlorophyll-a observations, and the correlation is significant (P