Applications of remotely sensed image data to marine modeling

Robinson, I. S. (2018) Applications of remotely sensed image data to marine modeling. In, Davies, A.M. (ed.) Modeling Marine Systems: Volume II. CRC Press, pp. 141-180. (doi:10.1201/9781351074704).

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

In the last decade, remote sensing from aircraft and satellites has gained acceptance amongst marine scientists as a valid means of making measurements of the ocean, a complement rather than an alternative to conventional in situ observing techniques. The first glimpses of the oceans from space, provided by the early manned orbital flights and the prototype earth resources satellites, demonstrated that the synoptic view of large areas of sea provided from a lofty vantage point could give oceanographers a new perspective on familiar phenomena, and reveal some new ones. The information content of photographs and scanned images was at first just qualitative, inspiring further investigation at sea and theoretical analysis of the features which were observed. The pioneers of satellite oceanography in the 1960s¹ and early 1970s planned to exploit the exciting possibilties, and in 1978, the first sensors designed specifically for ocean viewing were launched on the Nimbus7, TIROS-N, and Seasat satellites. It was with these that ocean remote sensing observations became truly quantitative measurements, as the early results from them proved.².

This record has no associated files available for download.