Remote sensing of the ocean from space

Remote Sensing I

Lecture 11

Summer 2006

Overview

• Sea surface temperature remote sensing• Mapping of ocean colour

– Biologic activity• Remote sensing of sea surface height /

topography from altimeters– El Nino detection– Deriving ocean circulation

• Remote sensing of sea surface roughness from scatterometers– Retrieving wind speed over the oceans

MODIS / Terra: Sea Surface Temperature

Gulfstream

Ocean colour: MERIS/ENVISAT, 443 nm

Ocean colour: MERIS/ENVISAT, 560 nm

Ocean colour: MERIS/ENVISAT, Chlorophyll

El Nino: Schematic

El Nino Indices

AVHRR: Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly

1996

1997

1998

TOPEX/POSEIDON: Sea Surface Height Anomaly

1996

1997

1998

Ocean Topography

Altimeter principle: TOPEX/POSEIDON

TOPEX/POSEIDONLaunched:10 Aug. 1992

Sea Surface Height: Assimilated from TOPEX

from Stammer & Wunsch

Ocean velocity field: Assimilated from TOPEX

from Stammer & Wunsch

Retrieving wind speed from altimeter: Principle

from Elachi

Surface Winds from Scatterometer: QuickSCAT

21. Sep. 2005Hurricane Rita