The NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) Experimental Daily Light Stress Damage (LSD) Product Suite for the Caribbean Region is part of CRW’s near-real-time Decision Support System (DSS) for coral reef management, which includes CRW’s Daily Global 5 km Satellite Coral Bleaching Heat Stress Monitoring Product Suite. Earlier, lower-resolution versions of the DSS were implemented beginning in 2000 and continue to provide updated monitoring information to the U.S. and international coral reef communities. The first version of the LSD product suite was launched on October 1, 2009 for the Caribbean region only. It was a pilot project based on preliminary research results on combined stress conducive to coral bleaching from both anomalously high light intensity (insolation) and temperature experienced by coral. Although web-based, the first version of the LSD product suite (which covered the time period April 2009 to the present) was password-protected and available only to project collaborators. The second version of the LSD product suite was released publicly on October 31, 2012 on the CRW website at 11 km spatial resolution. This metadata file provides information on the now-seventh version (version 0.7) of the LSD product suite for the Caribbean region. The suite is updated daily and has a spatial resolution of 5 km (0.05 degrees) for both the most recent near-real-time updates and the archived products dating back to March 4, 2014. The LSD product suite provides a measure of the combined light and heat stresses on the coral photosystem. It comprises four outputs for the Caribbean: 'LSD Index', 'Total Daily Stress', Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), and Sea Surface Temperature (SST). Corals acclimate to light within a few weeks. (The LSD product suite described here uses an acclimation rate of six days for half-acclimation.) Since the acclimation is not instantaneous, quick changes in light levels from one day to the next will result in: (1) the addition of stress due to an excess of light if, for instance, the light levels jump from cloudy conditions one day to sunny conditions the next, or (2) the removal of light stress (i.e., the ability for repair) if the reverse occurs. Since the effects of stress are cumulative, over the course of a year the coral photosystem ranges from being far from stressed in the winter months, to being right on the threshold of too much stress in the summer. However, not all yearly cycles are the same and light stress levels differ from one summer to another. The LSD product suite tracks the effect of light stress from day to day. When heat stress occurs, this is then added to the current levels of stress from light, and the sum is compared to the stress threshold of the coral. The resulting value represents the Total Daily Stress, which ranges from 0 to 0.4. During a stress event, Total Daily Stress values are accumulated and plotted as an LSD Index, with values ranging from 0 to >4. Once the LSD Index climbs above 0, it is expected that corals will have begun to pale. As the value continues to increase, corals will begin to bleach. The exact value of the LSD Index for ecologically significant coral bleaching is yet to be determined; however, anecdotal evidence suggests that it will be somewhere around 1. Temperature data used in deriving the LSD suite are the operational daily global NOAA/ National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) 5 km (0.05 degrees) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) Blended SST product. The LSD is also produced using PAR data derived from the NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) GOES Surface and Insolation Products (GSIP). Daily PAR data are used to derive an anomaly product that measures acclimation of the corals to changing light levels from day to day. At this time, the experimental LSD product suite is produced only for the Caribbean and Pacific (separate metadata record) regions on the CRW website. Additional information on the SST used for this product is provided in each SST NetCDF data file, accessible at https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/hdf/index.php. The LSD product suite, its detailed description, and available data formats and delivery mechanisms are accessible at https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/product/lsd/index.php.
The NOAA Coral Reef Watch program seeks to fully utilize satellite-based observations, combined with in-situ data, to continually monitor for early indications of thermally-induced coral reef bleaching worldwide. A suite of monitoring and prediction products, including the product described in these metadata, has been developed by CRW as a decision support system (DSS) to provide critical and timely coral reef environment information to the U.S. and international coral reef communities.
The product mentioned in this metadata file is accessible at: https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov.
Ground Condition
Not intended for legal use. Data may contain inaccuracies due to cloud cover and/or other reasons.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NESDIS/STAR/SOCD Coral Reef Watch, NCWCP, E/RA3, 5830 University Research Court, 3rd Floor, Room 3222
https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/data/lsd/v07/image/current/lsd_caribbean.png
The accuracy of the LSD product depends on the accuracy of NESDIS/STAR satellite SSTs and the NESDIS/STAR GSIP. POES Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)-SST values used for creating the 5 km SST analysis fields were accurate to within 0.05 degrees Celsius and adjusted by in-situ buoy observations to best approximate SST at the depth of one meter. However, when producing a complete, gap-filled SST analysis with global coverage, estimation of SST at the pixels covered by cloud may occasionally reduce the accuracy of SST at these pixels. Information about the GSIP can be found at http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/land/gsip/index.html.
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There is no spatial data gap existing in this data set. As an experimental product, this product undergoes continual development and refinement to determine the algorithm's best configuration. Any change in the algorithm or product presentation may incur reprocessing of the entire data set. Should this occur, an announcement will be posted on the CRW web site, and the metadata will be revised to reflect changes that take place. New near-real-time LSD products will be continuously added into this data collection at scheduled routine data update times.
Users are referred to the following guide on AVHRR-derived SST: Goodrum, G., K.B. Kidwell, and W. Winston, 2000, NOAA KLM USER'S GUIDE. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, National Climatic Data Center, Climate Services Division, Satellite Services Branch, FOB3, Room G227, E/CC33, 5200 Auth Road, Suitland, MD 20746-4304, USA. This manual is available online at: http://www2.ncdc.noaa.gov/docs/klm/cover.htm. To request additional information, contact: Telephone: (828) 271-4850, Telefax: (828) 271-4876, Email: satorder@ncdc.noaa.gov. Users are referred to the following website on the GSIP, http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/land/gsip/index.html.
The LSD product is derived from this SST product.
The LSD product is derived from this PAR product.
The daily SSTs are used to derive an anomaly product that measures the effect of temperature on the photosynthesis process. This effect is then added to the effect of PAR to derive the LSD product. See the CRW website at https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/product/lsd/index.php.
The daily PAR totals are used to derive an anomaly product that measures acclimation of the corals to changing light levels from day to day. These anomalies are combined with the effects of SST to derive the LSD product. See the CRW website at https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/product/lsd/index.php.
These are the image display of original LSD data.
https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/product/lsd/index.php
NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.
Web page
Images
The product in various formats may be downloaded from the CRW web site or obtained directly from the distributor.
