In this paper, we examined the spatial dynamics of chlorophyll-a and SST of a bay in the south-western Scottish coast through analysis of a series of Airborne Thematic Mapper images that were acquired on two dates throughout an ebb tide. Changes in patterns of chlorophyll-a and SST were determined through two complimentary statistical procedures: firstly, by geostatistics (variogram analysis), which provided information on changes in the scale-dependency of the variation; and secondly, by maximum cross correlation, which provided information on the displacement of pattern at a local scale. Geostatistics and maximum cross correlation were effective for quantifying spatial dynamics, but qualitative interpretation was also necessary. Complex spatial dynamics were found over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, associated with the creation and dissipation of eddies, the convergence and divergence of fronts, and the creation of geostrophic boundary currents. All these dynamics were superimposed on the synoptic tidal flow. Patterns of chlorophyll-a differed markedly from those of SST, indicating the non-conservative aspect of algal populations and the 3-dimensional aspect of the velocity field.