The Impact of Satellite Infrared Sea Surface Temperatures on FNOC (Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center) Ocean Thermal Analyses
Abstract
The Navy's global operational domain and system performance criteria place strict requirements on specifying sea surface temperatures (SST) and ocean thermal structure on many space and time scales. As in situ observations of the ocean's temperature field are sparse and are often inaccurate, the Navy and other oceanographers have increasingly relied on remotely sensed data to fill gaps. Infrared imagery from polar orbiting and geostationary satellites was first used from qualitative standpoint to locate strong ocean frontal areas. Over the last 5 years, the Navy has included quantitative satellite measurements as an integral part of their SST data base. These multichannel sea surface temperatures (MCSST), 50,000-100,000 per day, far outweigh the spatial and temporal coverage of all in situ reports combined. The MCSST data provide the Expanded Ocean Thermal Structure analysis with highly accurate reports that span the globe. This study reveals that MCSST data significantly add to the mesoscale fronts and eddies mapping effort by tightening up strong frontal gradients and reducing the impact of noisy ship data. Higher resolution analyses are also seen to greatly aid in correctly delineating sharp ocean mesoscale features, as well as take advantages of the MCSST's 8 km by 8 km resolution.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA173333
Entities
People
- Bonita L. Samuels
- Jeffrey D. Hawkins
- John M. Harding
- Juanita R. Chase
- R. M. Clancy
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory