Phenological Patterns of Coastal Algal Blooms in the optically complex waters of the northern Patagonian Continental Shelf: a remote sensing approach

Phenological Patterns of Coastal Algal Blooms in the optically complex waters of the northern Patagonian Continental Shelf: a remote sensing approach | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Phenological Patterns of Coastal Algal Blooms in the optically complex waters of the northern Patagonian Continental Shelf: a remote sensing approach Maximiliano Arena, Paula Pratolongo, Hubert Loisel, Manh Duy Tran, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6351774/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Jun, 2025 Read the published version in Estuaries and Coasts → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Understanding the spatial and temporal variability of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) is crucial for assessing phytoplankton dynamics and ecosystem productivity in coastal waters. In this study, we characterized phytoplankton biomass variability in El Rincón, a shallow and biologically productive coastal region in the Patagonian Continental Shelf, using as a proxy 7-years (2017-2024) of Sentinel-3 OLCI satellite data and a regionally validated algorithm (MuRB&NDCI). This model provides more accurate Chl-a estimates compared to traditional algorithms, particularly in optically complex waters. Self-organizing maps (SOM) neural network was applied to identify four distinct bio-geographical regions with unique bloom dynamics. The phenological estimates revealed phytoplankton blooms typically initiate in fall (March), peak during winter (May–August), and are more pronounced near the Bahía Blanca Estuary (BBE), where nutrient and sediment inputs drive high productivity. The findings presented in this work highlight the utility of Optical Water Class based algorithms for capturing the fine-scale spatiotemporal variability of Chl-a in coastal systems. This study advances our understanding of phytoplankton dynamics in El Rincón and underscores the importance of customized satellitederived approaches for monitoring and managing productivity in shallow coastal environments. phytoplankton blooms phenology chlorophyll-a Sentinel 3 OLCI El Rincón Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Jun, 2025 Read the published version in Estuaries and Coasts → Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 03 Apr, 2025 Editor invited by journal 03 Apr, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 01 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 01 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6351774","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":438137547,"identity":"13f8318e-8913-46c7-a783-c4930df76c38","order_by":0,"name":"Maximiliano Arena","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6162-9716","institution":"Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences: Laboratoire d'oceanologie et de geosciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maximiliano","middleName":"","lastName":"Arena","suffix":""},{"id":438137548,"identity":"dcec47c8-d39f-4c6f-b327-56f79e7779e2","order_by":1,"name":"Paula Pratolongo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida: Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiarida","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Paula","middleName":"","lastName":"Pratolongo","suffix":""},{"id":438137549,"identity":"b6e15bec-ace2-4b9c-8be7-3e40819977cf","order_by":2,"name":"Hubert Loisel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences: Laboratoire d'oceanologie et de geosciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hubert","middleName":"","lastName":"Loisel","suffix":""},{"id":438137550,"identity":"7d8da966-2c73-48f0-9cf5-150452702514","order_by":3,"name":"Manh Duy Tran","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences: Laboratoire d'oceanologie et de geosciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Manh","middleName":"Duy","lastName":"Tran","suffix":""},{"id":438137551,"identity":"2ba8296d-2221-4c49-aafe-bfc8972ab8de","order_by":4,"name":"Daniel S.F. 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