Does AVHRR-sea surface temperature fronts in the Beaufort Sea reveal biological hotspots?

Abstract

Eleven years of NOAA (AVHRR) images of sea surface temperature (SST) have been used to detect ocean thermal fronts in the southeastern Beaufort Sea. As expected, front detection is easier in the summer season. Location of major known fronts (Shelf Break Front, Mackenzie River Plume Front) was confirmed and new frontal regions (Cape Bathurst, Mackenzie Trough, Amundsen Gulf coastal zones) were identified. These fronts appear mostly driven by wind and tidal mixing along steep shelf slopes and may be playing an important role in the biological processes.