Variability of total suspended matter with chlorophyll a and climatic conditions in the Jijel coastal waters, Algeria

In the south-west of the Mediterranean, the Jijel coastal waters (JCW) run along the central part of the east coast of Algeria. A useful indicator of the health of coastal waters is the concentration of total suspended matter (TSM). This study intends to investigate how chlorophyll a (Chla) and climatic variables affect TSM variability, to look for possible models that could control this variability, and to find the parameter that most closely correlates with TSM fluctuation in the JCW. This was done by looking at the variability of TSM with reference to Chla, sea surface temperature (SST), precipitation (P) and wind speed (WS). TSM, Chla, SST were derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer images downloaded from the oceancolor website for the 2003-2012 period after processing under SeaDAS (Sea Data Analysis System), while P and WS were collected at a weather station for the same period. Whatever the type of variablliy (interannual, monthly, seasonal or spatial), the statistical analysis showed that a positive correlation always occurs between TSM and Chla, which is the most significant among the studied variables. This study suggested that the length of the dry and rainy seasons can be estimated by comparing the monthly variability of the three variables TSM, Chla and P. The spatial and seasonal analysis also showed that TSM and Chla values are higher near the coasts and wadi mouths than offshore and in winter and spring than in summer and autumn.