Satellites

An artist's rendering of the Aqua satellite orbiting Earth (courtesy of NASA)

Satellite-borne instruments provide global coverage and also generate data and information for estuarine and coastal ecosystems. The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), generates ocean color data to determine chlorophyll as a measure of phytoplankton (algae) biomass. Orbiting the globe at 705 km, images of the entire planet are attained every two days, giving synoptic data at a high frequency for land and ocean.

As part of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS), the Terra and Aqua satellites orbit Earth collecting information on characteristics such as sea ice cover, phytoplankton abundance, and water temperature. This information helps to give scientists a global view of climate and environmental change. Launched in 1999 and 2002 respectively, Terra and Aqua include MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) among their arsenal of instruments, a key tool in understanding oceanographic processes.

Useful Links

NASA
Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project

Earth Observing System (EOS)

Aqua

MODIS

Maryland Sea Grant
Satellite Remote Sensing with SeaWiFS to Detect Seasonal and Interannual Variability in Phytoplankton Abundance in the Chesapeake Bay and Adjacent Coastal Waters (R/P-37). Lawrence W. Harding, Jr. and Wayne Esaias (1994-1997)

Johns Hopkins University
Ocean Remote Sensing: Chesapeake Bay Region