IMEDEA Calendar
 
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Vie 13th Sep
12:00 pm
12:30 pm



 



Abstract



Over the past 30 years, satellite-based radar altimetry has revolutionized the measurement of sea level changes on global and regional scales. However, conventional altimeters, designed primarily for open-ocean observations, face significant challenges in coastal zones, particularly within 20 km of the shoreline, where radar signals are contaminated by land reflections. This limitation has impeded precise monitoring of coastal sea level variations, which are crucial for understanding local coastal processes and assessing risks to coastal communities. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, developed by NASA and CNES, represents a breakthrough in coastal sea level observation. Equipped with the innovative Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), SWOT offers unprecedented high-resolution (2 km) sea surface height (SSH) measurements across a two-dimensional swath, enabling detailed analysis of coastal sea level dynamics. Furthermore, SWOT's high-resolution SSH mapping enables the detection of extreme coastal sea level events, such as storm surges, providing a novel tool for monitoring and characterizing the processes involved in these phenomena. This project evaluates SWOT's performance in coastal regions by comparing it against tide gauges, ERA5 reanalysis weather model and SCHISM ocean circulation model. This study has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of coastal processes and improve monitoring efforts for extreme events, with a focus on its capacity to detect storm surges, driven by strong winds and low atmospheric pressure during intense weather events like tropical cyclones and extratropical storms which cause abrupt and significant rises in sea level along coastlines.


Sala de Seminarios del IMEDEA, Esporles
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Vie 20th Sep
12:00 pm
12:30 pm

Abstract



Aquatic environments make up 70% of the total Planet Earth surface and marine phytoplankton is of crucial importance in the regulation of the climate as well as a key contributor to primary productivity and to global geochemical cycles. Although marine microorganisms have been widely studied during decades, we still lack widespread quantification methods of their microscopic behaviour. Here I will present my plan to study different aspects of the unicellular uniflagellate microalga Micromonas widely distributed in the world’s oceans. My focus is on its interactions with viruses, one of the most important regulators of Micromonas abundance. Questions about ecology, chemotaxis, physiology and phototaxis will be addressed -or, at least: that’s the idea! -.


Sala de Seminarios del IMEDEA, Esporles
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