In 2008, the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) installed a permanent thermosalinometer (TSG) on board of R/V J.M. Navaz, operating in the Galician Rias Baixas coastal area (Vigo, Pontevedra, Arousa and Muros), in the framework of a harmful algal bloom monitoring. The TSG continuously measures the sea subsurface salinity, temperature, and fluorescence along the ship tracks.
The classical approach to distribution maps is performing objective analysis of the collected data and assumes errors associated with coastal features. Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis (DIVA) allows the spatial interpolation of data over an adaptable mesh grid, taking into account coastlines and inlets, but also advection constraints. Calculations, from 2008 to 2013, are optimized and rely on a finite element resolution and the software allows optimizing the analysis parameters, checking for duplicates and performing quality controls.
The results of performing and comparing DIVA and objective analysis show slight differences that can be appreciated between the inner part of the inlets and the open sea areas. The relative length of the whole data set allows considering also monthly and annual variability. Differences can be appreciated between the inner part of the inlets and the open sea areas. These climatological results can be useful not only for scientific research but also for coastal management activities.
Bibliography: Troupin, C., A.Barth, D.Sirjacobs, M.Ouberdous, JM.Brankart, P.Brasseur, M.Rixen, A.Alvera-Azcárate, M.Belounis, A.Capet, F.Lenartz, ME.Toussaint, JM.Beckers. Generation of analysis and consistent error fields using the Data Interpolating Variational Analysis (Diva). Ocean Modelling, 2012, vol 52-53, 90- 101, doi 10.1016/j.ocemod.2012.05.002