Marine fishery resources assessment Through mesoscale coastal Upwelling extraction using Microwave remote sensing data and Knowledge based expert system GIS Derived potential fishing zone Mapping

Abstract

The present study deals with an investigation of potential application (suitability) of wind driven mesoscale coastal Upwelling for marine fishery resources exploration through Ekman mass transport modelling using microwave QuikSCAT derived wind data product such as wind speed and Wind direction in the coastal waters of Gujarat, India between 18°N to 24°N and 66°E to 73°E. newlineThe study also verified the feasibility of upwelling to develop Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) by comparing with the Knowledge Based Expert System - GIS (KBES-GIS) derived PFZ maps and the study has confirmed the reliability of upwelling by comparing the spatio¬temporal(spatial distribution and temporal persistence) characteristics of upwelling with conventional fish catch statistics. newlineThe resultant indices of the Ekman mass transport model such as Ekman mass transport and Ekman depth were used as the signatures to locate and extract the mesoscale properties of upwelling such as spatial extent and temporal persistence. It was understood from the model result that the upwelling development start with the wind speed of at least 5.5 m/s blowing parallel to the coast. The monsoonal wind strength ranging from 5 to 9 m/s in combination with meridional orientation of coastline for 24°N conveniently sets up the upwelling phenomenon. The extent between 18°N to 21.5°N was delineated as the most probable zone of upwelling throughout the NE monsoon season from November to February of the succeeding year. newline