SeaView: Satellite Imagery of the Southeastern U.S. Coast CD-ROM

Southeast CoastWatch Retrospective Sea Surface Temperature from AVHRR Satellite Imagery

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Remotely sensed satellite imagery has become an increasingly useful tool for the marine oceanographic community to assess and characterize physical and biological properties of the coastal oceans. Since the late 1980s, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) CoastWatch program has provided an avenue for near real-time access to thermal infrared satellite imagery of sea surface temperature (SST). For the marine scientist and coastal resource manager this imagery provides a frequent synoptic view of meso and large-scale physical oceanographic surface structure not possible from ship surveys, current meters or drifting buoys. The broadening availability of AVHRR (advanced very high resolution radiometer) SST satellite data through the CoastWatch program has lead to its incorporation into many studies of ocean and coastal marine phenomena, including:

The SeaView CD-ROM was specifically created to provide a user-friendly environment for retrospective analysis of the CoastWatch imagery. This CD-ROM contains a collection of over 1,400 satellite SST maps at approximately 4 km resolution for the coastal ocean of the southern U.S. in a UNIX and PC compatible format. CoastWatch AVHRR image files in an annotated JPEG format can be rapidly browsed to determine the interannual and seasonal temporal and spatial variability of major ocean features, including the Gulf Stream and the Loop Current, as well as regional cold water upwellings, warm and cool eddies, and seasonal temperature changes over a period from 1991 to 1996. Once significant features or processes are identified, the same imagery in TIFF format allows high-end image processing of the actual temperature values.

SeaView represents a unique resource, and offers a wealth of information on coastal and oceanic conditions, glimpsed at least weekly through the early 1990s. The rapid access to the satellite imagery will allow marine scientists and coastal resource mangers to easily place their own observations and field work within the context of the coincident oceanographic structure. Retrospective analysis using images such as these will assist in the continuing development of techniques for the practical applications of remotely sensed data as cost-effective and efficient tools for coastal zone ecosystem monitoring and management.

Sample images for May 2, 1992 and April 14, 1996 are available.

For additional information, questions, or comments, send e-mail to csc@csc.noaa.gov

To request copies of this product you can use our Product Request Form or you may contact the CSC Clearinghouse at:

NOAA Coastal Services Center Clearinghouse
2234 South Hobson Avenue
Charleston, South Carolina 29405-2413
843.740.1210
843.740.1315 (FAX)
e-mail: clearinghouse@csc.noaa.gov