Publications

Abhiya, A. M.; Minu, S.; Ramachandrankizhur (2015). Salient Long-Term Observations of SST along Kerala Coast and Its Comparative Variation with Lakshadweep Coast. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WATER RESOURCES, COASTAL AND OCEAN ENGINEERING (ICWRCOE'15), 4, 556-562.

Abstract
Sea Surface Temperature (SST), being one of the most important geo-physical parameters in the ocean, plays an important role in global climate change. The spatial attribute of oceanographic data makes them highly suitable for GIS analysis as GIS provides a natural framework for the acquisition, storage, and analysis of georeferenced data. In the present study we estimate the recent SST trends using a satellite-based climatology to characterize changes in sea surface temperature along Kerala coast since 1985. These SST variations are mapped using thermal infrared remote sensing and microwave remote sensing satellites through day and night. SST measurements derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for 26 years (1985 to 2010) period were examined. The trend analysis of annual mean SST shows that inter-annual mode of SST variations dominates. An increasing trend of SST is observed in the off shore area of Kerala coast. The increasing trend about 0.2 degrees C per decade is observed in the study area. The higher rate of increment of SST in Kerala coast may be attributed to rapid industrialization, increase in air temperature. The SST analysis for Lakshadweep islands is also done and the results are compared with that of Kerala coast. It is found that the SST of Kerala coast is higher during day time and lower during night time which may be influenced by the presence of landmass nearby. While the SST variations of Lakshadweep area are part of the regional scale factors. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

DOI:
10.1016/j.aqpro.2015.02.072

ISSN:
2214-241X