L4 - Satellites in Marine Science

Question 1

Give 5 points about the MaxWave Project

Answer 1

1. Part of ESA
2. ERS-1 and ERS-2
3. Monitored the oceans for large waves
4. 2004 reported 10 open ocean waves over 25m (freak waves)
5. Variety of global locations

Question 2

What is NWP?

Answer 2

Numerical Weather Prediction

Question 3

What are the 2 types of satellite?

Answer 3

1. Polar Orbital

2. Geostationary

Question 4

What are Polar Orbital satellites?

Answer 4

Ones that have a circular orbit over the poles

Question 5

What are Geostationary satellites?

Answer 5

Ones that have a fixed position and always look at the same place at the same time

Question 6

Give 5 points about Polar Orbital satellites

Answer 6

1. They are in low orbit (altitudes of 700-900km)
2. Orbital period of 90-100 minutes
3. Swaths up to 3000km wide
4. Sensors and platforms vary
5. Resolution depends on the sensor

Question 7

Who controls USA satellites?

Answer 7

NOAA and NASA

Question 8

What is POESS?

Answer 8

Polar Earth Satellite System

Question 9

What is the satellite programme in Europe run by ESA?

Answer 9

MetOp

Question 10

Give 3 points about Geostationary satellites

Answer 10

1. Altitude of 35,000km above the equator
2. Near global coverage
3. Distortion near the poles (geosynchronised to be above the equator)

Question 11

Give 4 applications of Infrared Sounders

Answer 11

1. Forecasting
2. SST
3. Fish Migration
4. Ice Edges & Extents

Question 12

What do Infrared Sounders do?

Answer 12

Observe emissions from the atmosphere in the wave bands 3-15um and convert to temperature, water content etc.

Question 13

What do Infrared Sounders give?

Answer 13

An accurate representation of the top few cm of the ocean

Question 14

Give 2 limitations of Infrared Sounders

Answer 14

1. Sensitive to SST and Clouds

2. Need Ground-Truthing

Question 15

Give 3 points about Optical Sensors

Answer 15

1. Observe emissions from the atmosphere in the visible spectrum
2. Photograph of the Earth
3. Cannot be used in darkness (need IR imagery)

Question 16

Give 6 applications of Optical Sensors

Answer 16

1. Clouds/Fog
2. Coastal Erosion Management
3. Shallow, Clearwater Hydrography
4. Mapping Pollution/Dredging Plumes
5. Ice Edges
6. Shallow Water Habitat Mapping

Question 17

What is derived wind data?

Answer 17

Wind observations derived from the motion of clouds and water vapour at different atmospheric levels because there aren’t any direct observations of wind from satellites

Question 18

What is AVM?

Answer 18

Atmospheric Motion Vectors

Question 19

What is ATSR?

Answer 19

Along Track Scanning Radiometer

Question 20

What is SAR?

Answer 20

Synthetic Aperture Radar

Question 21

What are Along Track Scanning Radiometers used for?

Answer 21

To give highly accurate, near global SST records

Question 22

What is the accuracy of Along Track Scanning Radiometers?

Answer 22

+/- 0.3 Deg C

Question 23

What do you need for Along Track Scanning Radiometers?

Answer 23

30-Year Running Means

Question 24

What is Synthetic Aperture Radar used for?

Answer 24

Measuring surface roughness

Question 25

Give 7 applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar

Answer 25

1. Surface Waves and Swell 2. Circulations 3. Internal Waves 4. Coastal Topography 5. Upwelling/Fronts 6. Coastal Watch 7. Ice Extent/Habitat Loss

Question 26

What is an Altimeter?

Answer 26

A sensor that orbits on Polar Orbital satellites and sends high frequency radar pulses which are used to calculate satellite to surface height

Question 27

What is the name of the joint USA/European SLR programme?

Answer 27

Jason-2

Question 28

What is SEAWIFS?

Answer 28

Sea viewing Wide Field of View Sensor -- it is a satellite/colour optical sensor with 1.13km resolution

Question 29

At what rate can SEAWIFS collect data compared to traditional sampling techniques?

Answer 29

1-minute can collect as much as traditional sampling for 10-years

Question 30

Give 3 applications of SEAWIFS

Answer 30

1. Identifying Phytoplankton Blooms 2. Deriving Shallow Water Depths 3. Coral Reef Research

Question 31

Give 3 points above Microwave Sounding Data

Answer 31

1. Derived Atmospheric Soundings are used 2. Senses radiation from water vapour and CO2 3. Looks at upper level temperature/humidity and wind fields

Question 32

Give 10 issues associated with the use of satellites

Answer 32

1. Need Ground-Truthing 2. Attenuation 3. Cloud Cover 4. Darkness 5. SAR quality reduces with poor sea state 6. Satellite pass isn't always where it is needed 7. Satiability/calibrations? 8. Platform/Sensor failure 9. V.high costs 10. Limited to the top levels of the oceans

Question 33

Give 9 satellite applications/uses

Answer 33

1. Modelling 2. Ocean Winds 3. Ocean Temperatures 4. Ocean Colour 5. Ozone/CO2 Monitoring 6. Ice Coverage 7. Derived Atmospheric Soundings 8. Altimeter Sea Heights 9. Visual Analysis