The present work is devoted to the development of a retrieval algorithm for the sea surface temperature from the two-channel measurements of the Landsat-8 satellite on the basis of a comparison with MODIS satellite data. The algorithm makes it possible to reconstruct the surface temperature with a 100 m resolution, which enables analysis of the spatial structure of various phenomena on the ocean surface at small scales (upwelling, submesoscale vortices, etc.). The magnitude of the standard deviation between the reconstructed temperature and the temperature derived from the MODIS satellite is ~0.58°C. The sources of inconsistency between temperatures retrieved from the MODIS and Landsat-8 measurements were investigated: diurnal temperature variation, which leads to an increase in the standard deviation in the summer period because of the mismatch in time (~2 hours) between measurements; the presence of specific bands in the Landsat data, which is probably related to instrumental errors of the device.

In this paper, we study the mechanisms of the formation and distribution of suspended matter (SM) near the western coast of Crimea under the impact of strong winds of various directions using medium- and high-resolution satellite data. The SM concentration was noted to reach its maximal values at southern winds, reaching values of 200 mg/L. The zone of high SM concentration is located in the region of the western shelf of Crimea and is limited to an isobath of 50 m. The wave action during the south wind contributes to the resuspension of bottom sediments and the destruction of clay cliffs on the western coast of Crimea. After the storm, a northern coastal current arises that transfers the SM to the north. In northeastern winds, the highest SM concentrations are observed not on the coast, but in the sea part of the shelf between isobaths of 30 and 50 m. Such winds are likely to resuspend sediments in shallow water, which are then driven away from the coast by the action of wind driving. They are replaced by clean, cold waters from the deeper layers that are observed near the coast. The feature of northern and northwestern storms impact is the formation of a coastal jet current along the west coast. The current occurs in the frontal upwelling zone and carries the SM south to the deep sea. The SM concentration in this case is also significantly lower than during southern winds, although it can reach 3 mg/L.

In this paper we studied the spatial and temporal characteristics of cyanobacteria bloom in the Azov Sea based on data from Landsat satellites sensors for 1999–2016. The strongest blooms were observed in 1999 and 2006–2009, when cyanobacteria occupied the entire central part of the Azov Sea. The maximal blooming in these years was in August–September. In 2006, cyanobacteria penetrated from the Azov Sea into the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. The longest and most extensive cyanobacteria blooming is recorded in the Taganrog Bay, which is associated with its shallow water and the nutrient supply from the Don River. Here, blooms are observed from February to November. Local maximums of cyanobacteria accumulation are observed along the eastern coast of the Azov Sea, near the mouth of the Kuban and Protoka rivers, in the Akhtarsky estuary and in the Temryuk Bay. They are most rarely found near the northwest coast. The data from the Landsat series satellites sensors show that cyanobacteria spread from the Taganrog Bay to the south or west in summer. From the mouth of the Kuban River, cyanobacteria move north. An analysis of numerical calculations using the Nemo model showed that this distribution is associated with northern currents that occur in the southern part of the sea in summer due to the impact of river discharge. Maps of the probability distribution of the cyanobacteria observation were obtained and estimates of the seasonal variation of the area covered by cyanobacteria blooming were given according to the data from the Landsat series satellites sensors. In the Azov Sea, maximal blooming is observed in July–August and minimal blooming is observed in winter, from November to February.