Plumes of discolored water of volcanic origin and possible implications for algal communities. The case of the Home Reef eruption of 2006 (Tonga, Southwest Pacific Ocean) |
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Authors: | Vasco M Mantas AJSC Pereira |
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Affiliation: | a IMAR, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugalb IMAR, Laboratory of Microbiology 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugalc Department of Biochemistry, University of Coimbra, 3001-401 Coimbra, Portugal |
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Abstract: | The Home Reef volcano (Tonga, Southwest Pacific Ocean) erupted in August 2006. Initially a submarine eruption it quickly evolved into a subaerial event upon the formation of an ephemeral island.Remote sensing data from different sensors including MODIS, ASTER, EO-1 ALI and Landsat-7 ETM+ were used to analyze the event, focusing on the plumes of discolored water, ocean chlorophyll-a concentration (OCC) and sea surface temperature.An early classification system for the plumes was devised based on spectral properties and point of origin. Plumes originated at the volcano were named Type-I and those associated to the pumice rafts Type-II.Anomalies in ocean chlorophyll-a concentration, measured using MODIS data, were analyzed and a large bloom, presumably dominated by Trichodesmium sp. was identified. The bloom, which contributed to OCC values 17 times higher than the background, was spatially and temporally coincident with a Type-I plume of discolored water. The OCC increase appears to have been caused by a combined effect of both ocean fertilizations by the subsurface volcanic plume and rising sea surface temperatures.The Home Reef event offers a good candidate for a case of ocean enrichment by a submarine volcano and highlights the need for continuous monitoring of the eruptions even after the end of the explosive, more spectacular stages. |
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Keywords: | Submarine volcanoes Plumes of discolored water Ocean fertilization Trichodesmium Home Reef volcano |
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