Satellite Chlorophyll-a Concentrations in Canadian Beaufort Sea (1998-2020)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada provides 276 satellite-derived chlorophyll-a concentration images of the Canadian Beaufort Sea. The data are aggregated into two-week composites from 1998 through 2020, with a spatial resolution of 1.1 km. It combines measurements from MODIS-Aqua and SeaWiFS sensors, processed using the Arctic Ocean Empirical and NIR-SWIR switching algorithms.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial and temporal trends in chlorophyll-a concentration across the 276 two-week composite images to study phytoplankton bloom dynamics.
• Compare chlorophyll-a measurements from the MODIS-Aqua and SeaWiFS sensors after the applied linear transform to assess sensor correlation and data continuity.
• Model the impact of sea ice cover by excluding data from October through February, correlating chlorophyll-a levels with seasonal ice melt patterns.
• Calculate mean chlorophyll-a values per pixel across the 1.1 km resolution grid to create seasonal climatologies for the Beaufort Sea region.

Strengths

• Provides 276 two-week composite images, offering a consistent time series from 1998 to 2020.
• Data is processed with specific algorithms for the Arctic (Arctic Ocean Empirical algorithm and NIR-SWIR atmospheric correction).
• Combines measurements from two established ocean color sensors, MODIS-Aqua and SeaWiFS, with a documented cross-calibration method.

Limitations

• No data is available for the months of October through February due to polar night and sea ice cover, creating a significant seasonal gap.
• The dataset consists of aggregated composite images; original daily or weekly granular sensor data is not provided.
• The 1.1 km resolution may be too coarse for studying fine-scale coastal or estuarine processes.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using MODIS-Aqua and SeaWiFS sensors, with atmospheric correction and algorithm-derived chlorophyll-a concentration.

Time Range

1998 through 2020

Freshness

Data covers up to 2020; the metadata record was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Canadian Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean