Algal Blooms in the Pearl River Estuary.

The concentration of chlorophyll was analysed from satellite images collected by using the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) sensor on the Envisat satellite, over the period 2004-2006 to understand the spatial and temporal aspects of algal blooms that occurred in the enclosed and semi-enclosed bays of the South China Sea in the Pearl River Estuary region. The ocean colour data obtained by processing the MERIS images in BEAM and the EnviView program was used to derive chlorophyll (Chl.) concentration to elucidate seasonal factors affecting the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of algal blooms.