Physical and Biological Satellite Observations of the Northwest African Upwelling: Spatial Extent and Dynamics

The region along the North-West African coast (20°N to 36°N and 4°W to 19°W) is characterized by a persistent and variable upwelling phenomenon almost all year round. In this article, the upwelling features are investigated using an algorithm dedicated to delimit the upwelling area from thermal and biological satellite observations. This method has been developed specifically for sea-surface temperature (SST) images, since they present a high latitudinal variation, which is not present in chlorophyll-a concentration images. Developing on the proposed approach, the spatial and temporal variations of the main physical and biological upwelling patterns are studied. Moreover, a study on the upwelling dynamics, which explores the interplay between the upwelling spatiotemporal extents and intensity, is presented, based on a 14-year time archive of weekly SST and chlorophyll-a concentration data.