Monitoring pearl farming lagoon temperature with global high resolution satellite-derived products: An evaluation using Raroia Atoll, French Polynesia

Temperature is important for pearl oyster reproduction, pelagic larval duration, and growth in the context of pearl farming, but has seldom been monitored over long periods in remote atolls. To test if satellite-derived Sea Surface Temperature (SST) could provide a solution, two daily global SST products were compared with 18 high precision loggers deployed during 10-months in the wide Raroia atoll (Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia). The Multi-scale-Ultra-high-Resolution (MUR) SST was better correlated with lagoon temperature (r > 0.97) than the Global-Foundation-Sea-Surface-Temperature-Analysis (G1SST) SST (r < 0.94). Differences between observations and MUR SST ranged between -0.75 degrees C and + 1.12 degrees C and were influenced by seasons and locations, depth, and hours of measurements. Within this uncertainty range, simulations using a Dynamic Energy Budget model predicted similar life traits of oysters. Therefore, MUR SST appears suitable to monitor lagoon temperature in wide atolls, model oyster population dynamics and assist pearl oyster research and management.