Surface and sub-surface current model outputs were obtained from researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Boston to examine spatial and temporal current variability within the region around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sancutary.

Surface and sub-surface current model outputs were obtained from researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Boston to examine spatial and temporal current variability within the region around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sancutary.

This feature class contains the spatial extent of the internal wave analysis. This area of interest was defined in interests of time. A cusory review of the 66 SAR images outside this AOI suggest that there is persistant internal wave activity propigating eastward (shoreward) from George's Bank and may be a topic for future study.

This geodatabase contains Synthetic Aperture Radar images (SAR), which consist of a fine resolution (12.5-50m), two-dimensional radar backscatter map of the roughness of the ocean surface. The interaction between the SAR pulse of microwave energy---X-band (3cm), C-band (6cm) and L-band (24 cm) ---and the ocean surface is complex, as it is dependent on wavelength, polarization, geometry, environmental conditions and the electrical properties of the oceans surface. Ocean features commonly seen on SAR imagery include surface waves, mesocscale ocean circulation structures such as eddies and currents, oily slicks and surface manifestations of ocean dynamics present below the surface, including internal waves and currents passing over shallow shoals. NAMING CONVENTION: The naming convention of the imagery is as follows: SAR_Year_JulianDay_Month_Day_Time(in GMT)_Scene#So for example, SAR_1997_134_5_14_T223315 would read as SAR imagery taken on May 14 (JulianDay 134), 1997 at 22:33:15 GMT time.

Average monthy Sea Surfact Temperature http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/ Naming Convention: XXXX_YYYYMM_SST.tif XXXX=location (Stell) YYYY=year MM=month Example filename: Stell_198501_SST.tif

Grand monthly mean Sea Surface Temperature http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/ Naming Convention: XXXX_SSSYYYY1YYYY2_GAVGSST.tif XXXX=location (Stell) SSS= season (FAL=fall,SPR=spring,SUM=summer,WIN=winter)YYYY1=start year YYYY2=end year GAVGSST= grandmonthly mean SST image Example filename: Stell_FAL19852004_GAVGSST.tif

GeoTif images of chlorophyll, turbidity, and SST were created of the region. Then an EASI script was run on the geotifs to extract the data (drill the data) from specific points (or bitmaps) in each scene for the timeseries. After the output was created in text file format, they were opened up in Microsoft Excel and spreadsheets were created for each location. Chlorophyll, turbidity, and SST are all contained in one spreadsheet bearing the name of the location. The drilled data shows the files used for the data drill, the mean of the pixels used in the data drill, and the number of pixels used to calculate the mean for each image used.

Zooplankton communities have been well studied in the northeast Atlantic (Sherman et al., 1983) and on Georges Bank within the Gulf of Maine (Bigelow, 1927; Davis, 1984; Backus, 1987; Kane, 1993; Pershing et al., 2004). Few studies have examined zooplankton spatial patterns within the Gulf of Maine. Twelve years (1977-1988) of zooplankton data from the National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Marine Resources Monitoring Assessment and Prediction Program (MARMAP) were obtained to examine spatial and temporal patterns. A subset of the entire database was selected to include all zooplankton surveys in the Gulf of Maine during this time period (Figure 1.7.4). Overall, 6,864 samples were collected within this area; sampling methodology is described in Sibunka and Silverman (1989).

Daily turbidity imagery -

Inter-annual median monthly turbidity imagery - Each image represents one calendar month