scholarly journals On Capabilities of Tracking Marine Surface Currents Using Artificial Film Slicks

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Kapustin ◽  
Olga Shomina ◽  
Alexey Ermoshkin ◽  
Nikolay Bogatov ◽  
Alexander Kupaev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Film ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Application Of Surfactants ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Band Formation ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
Marine Currents ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Film Spreading

It is known that films on the sea surface can appear due to ship pollution, river and collector drains, as well as natural biological processes. Marine film slicks can indicate various geophysical processes in the upper layer of the ocean and in the atmosphere. In particular, slick signatures in SAR-imagery of the sea surface at low and moderate wind speeds are often associated with marine currents. Apart from the current itself, other factors such as wind and the physical characteristics of films can significantly influence the dynamics of slick structures. In this paper, a prospective approach aimed at measuring surface currents is developed. The approach is based on the investigation of the geometry of artificial banded slicks formed under the action of marine currents and on the retrieval of the current characteristics from this geometry. The developed approach is applied to quasi stationary slick bands under conditions when the influence of the film spreading effects can be neglected. For the stationary part of the slick band where transition processes of the band formation, e.g., methods of application of surfactants on water, film spreading processes, possible wind transformation etc., become negligible, some empirical relations between the band geometrical characteristics and the characteristics of the surface currents are obtained. The advantage of the approach is a possibility of getting information concerning the spatial structure of marine currents along the entire slick band. The suggested approach can be efficient for remote sensing data verification.

scholarly journals A Combination of Spatial Domain Filters to Detect Surface Ocean Current from Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Data

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 332
Author(s):  
Mohammed Abdul Athick AS ◽  
Shih-Yu Lee
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Total Heat ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Ocean Current ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Total Heat Flux ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Natural Break

This research investigates the applicability of combining spatial filter’s algorithm to extract surface ocean current. Accordingly, the raster filters were tested on 80–13,505 daily images to detect Kuroshio Current (KC) on weekly, seasonal, and climatological scales. The selected raster filters are convolution, Laplacian, north gradient, sharpening, min/max, histogram equalization, standard deviation, and natural break. In addition, conventional data set of sea surface currents, sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and non-conventional data such as total heat flux, surface density (SSD), and salinity (SSS) were employed. Moreover, controversial data on ocean color are included because very few studies revealed that chlorophyll-α is a proxy to SST in the summer to extract KC. Interestingly, the performance of filters is uniform and thriving for seasonal and on a climatological scale only by combining the algorithms. In contrast, the typical scenario of identifying Kuroshio signatures using an individual filter and by designating a value spectrum is inapplicable for specific seasons and data set. Furthermore, the KC’s centerlines computed from SST, SSH, total heat flux, SSS, SSD, and chlorophyll-α correlate with sea surface currents. Deviations are observed in the various segments of Kuroshio’s centerline extracted from heat flux, chlorophyll-α, and SSS flowing across Tokara Strait from northeast Taiwan to the south of Japan.

scholarly journals Honing in on bioluminescent milky seas from space

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Miller ◽  
Steven H. D. Haddock ◽  
William C. Straka ◽  
Curtis J. Seaman ◽  
Cynthia L. Combs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Maritime Continent ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Composition Formation ◽  
Mass Isolation ◽  
New Generation

AbstractMilky seas are a rare form of marine bioluminescence where the nocturnal ocean surface produces a widespread, uniform and steady whitish glow. Mariners have compared their appearance to a daylit snowfield that extends to all horizons. Encountered most often in remote waters of the northwest Indian Ocean and the Maritime Continent, milky seas have eluded rigorous scientific inquiry, and thus little is known about their composition, formation mechanism, and role within the marine ecosystem. The Day/Night Band (DNB), a new-generation spaceborne low-light imager, holds potential to detect milky seas, but the capability has yet to be demonstrated. Here, we show initial examples of DNB-detected milky seas based on a multi-year (2012–2021) search. The massive bodies of glowing ocean, sometimes exceeding 100,000 km2 in size, persist for days to weeks, drift within doldrums amidst the prevailing sea surface currents, and align with narrow ranges of sea surface temperature and biomass in a way that suggests water mass isolation. These findings show how spaceborne assets can now help guide research vessels toward active milky seas to learn more about them.

scholarly journals A Meta-Methodology for Improving Land Cover and Land Use Classification with SAR Imagery

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marinalva Dias Soares ◽  
Luciano Vieira Dutra ◽  
Gilson Alexandre Ostwald Pedro da Costa ◽  
Raul Queiroz Feitosa ◽  
Rogério Galante Negri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Data Classification ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Input Image ◽  
Optical Data ◽  
Land Use Classification ◽  
Object Based ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Small Change

Per-point classification is a traditional method for remote sensing data classification, and for radar data in particular. Compared with optical data, the discriminative power of radar data is quite limited, for most applications. A way of trying to overcome these difficulties is to use Region-Based Classification (RBC), also referred to as Geographical Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA). RBC methods first aggregate pixels into homogeneous objects, or regions, using a segmentation procedure. Moreover, segmentation is known to be an ill-conditioned problem because it admits multiple solutions, and a small change in the input image, or segmentation parameters, may lead to significant changes in the image partitioning. In this context, this paper proposes and evaluates novel approaches for SAR data classification, which rely on specialized segmentations, and on the combination of partial maps produced by classification ensembles. Such approaches comprise a meta-methodology, in the sense that they are independent from segmentation and classification algorithms, and optimization procedures. Results are shown that improve the classification accuracy from Kappa = 0.4 (baseline method) to a Kappa = 0.77 with the presented method. Another test site presented an improvement from Kappa = 0.36 to a maximum of 0.66 also with radar data.

scholarly journals A New Combined Adjustment Model for Geolocation Accuracy Improvement of Multiple Sources Optical and SAR Imagery

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 491
Author(s):  
Niangang Jiao ◽  
Feng Wang ◽  
Hongjian You
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Accuracy Improvement ◽  
Geometric Calibration ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Calibration Methods ◽  
Earth Observation Data ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Geolocation Accuracy

Numerous earth observation data obtained from different platforms have been widely used in various fields, and geometric calibration is a fundamental step for these applications. Traditional calibration methods are developed based on the rational function model (RFM), which is produced by image vendors as a substitution of the rigorous sensor model (RSM). Generally, the fitting accuracy of the RFM is much higher than 1 pixel, whereas the result decreases to several pixels in mountainous areas, especially for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. Therefore, this paper proposes a new combined adjustment for geolocation accuracy improvement of multiple sources satellite SAR and optical imagery. Tie points are extracted based on a robust image matching algorithm, and relationships between the parameters of the range-doppler (RD) model and the RFM are developed by transformed into the same Geodetic Coordinate systems. At the same time, a heterogeneous weight strategy is designed for better convergence. Experimental results indicate that our proposed model can achieve much higher geolocation accuracy with approximately 2.60 pixels in the X direction and 3.50 pixels in the Y direction. Compared with traditional methods developed based on RFM, our proposed model provides a new way for synergistic use of multiple sources remote sensing data.

scholarly journals Controls of Caribbean surface hydrology during the mid- to late Holocene: insights from monthly resolved coral records

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 841-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Giry ◽  
T. Felis ◽  
M. Kölling ◽  
W. Wei ◽  
G. Lohmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Surface Hydrology ◽  
Multidecadal Variability ◽  
Southern Caribbean ◽  
The Caribbean

Abstract. Several proxy-based and modeling studies have investigated long-term changes in Caribbean climate during the Holocene, however, very little is known on its variability on short timescales. Here we reconstruct seasonality and interannual to multidecadal variability of sea surface hydrology of the southern Caribbean Sea by applying paired coral Sr/Ca and δ18O measurements on fossil annually banded Diploria strigosa corals from Bonaire. This allows for better understanding of seasonal to multidecadal variability of the Caribbean hydrological cycle during the mid- to late Holocene. The monthly resolved coral Δδ18O records are used as a proxy for the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater (δ18Osw) of the southern Caribbean Sea. Consistent with modern day conditions, annual δ18Osw cycles reconstructed from three modern corals reveal that freshwater budget at the study site is influenced by both net precipitation and advection of tropical freshwater brought by wind-driven surface currents. In contrast, the annual δ18Osw cycle reconstructed from a mid-Holocene coral indicates a sharp peak towards more negative values in summer, suggesting intense summer precipitation at 6 ka BP (before present). In line with this, our model simulations indicate that increased seasonality of the hydrological cycle at 6 ka BP results from enhanced precipitation in summertime. On interannual to multidecadal timescales, the systematic positive correlation observed between reconstructed sea surface temperature and salinity suggests that freshwater discharged from the Orinoco and Amazon rivers and transported into the Caribbean by wind-driven surface currents is a critical component influencing sea surface hydrology on these timescales.

scholarly journals Fine-scale features on the sea surface in SAR satellite imagery – Part 1: Simultaneous in-situ measurements

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 2885-2914 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Soloviev ◽  
C. Maingot ◽  
S. Matt ◽  
R. E. Dodge ◽  
S. Lehner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Upper Ocean ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Sar Imagery

Abstract. This work is aimed at identifying the origin of fine-scale features on the sea surface in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery with the help of in-situ measurements as well as numerical models (presented in a companion paper). We are interested in natural and artificial features starting from the horizontal scale of the upper ocean mixed layer, around 30–50 m. These features are often associated with three-dimensional upper ocean dynamics. We have conducted a number of studies involving in-situ observations in the Straits of Florida during SAR satellite overpass. The data include examples of sharp frontal interfaces, wakes of surface ships, internal wave signatures, as well as slicks of artificial and natural origin. Atmospheric processes, such as squall lines and rain cells, produced prominent signatures on the sea surface. This data has allowed us to test an approach for distinguishing between natural and artificial features and atmospheric influences in SAR images that is based on a co-polarized phase difference filter.

scholarly journals Grounding and calving cycle of Mertz Ice Tongue revealed by shallow Mertz Bank

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 2043-2056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianwei Wang ◽  
David M. Holland ◽  
Xiao Cheng ◽  
Peng Gong
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Seafloor Topography ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Air Content ◽  
Cyclic Variations ◽  
Cyclical Process ◽  
Height Data

Abstract. A recent study, using remote sensing, provided evidence that a seafloor shoal influenced the 2010 calving event of the Mertz Ice Tongue (MIT), by partially grounding the MIT several years earlier. In this paper, we start by proposing a method to calculate firn air content (FAC) around Mertz from seafloor-touching icebergs. Our calculations indicate the FAC around Mertz region as 4.87 ± 1.31 m. We then design an indirect method of using freeboard and sea surface height data extracted from ICESat/GLAS, FAC, and relatively accurate seafloor topography to detect grounding sections of the MIT between 2002 and 2008 and analyze the process of grounding prior to the calving event. By synthesizing remote sensing data, we point out that the grounding position was localized northeast of the Mertz ice front close to the Mertz Bank. The grounding outlines of the tongue caused by the Mertz Bank are extracted as well. From 2002 to 2008, the grounding area increased and the grounding became more pronounced. Additionally, the ice tongue could not effectively climb over the Mertz Bank in following the upstream ice flow direction and that is why MIT rotated clockwise after late 2002. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the area-increasing trend of the MIT changed little after calving (∼  36 km2 a−1), thus allowing us to use remote sensing to estimate the elapsed time until the MIT can reground on and be bent by the shoal. This period is approximately 70 years. Our observations suggest that the calving of the MIT is a cyclical process controlled by the presence of the shallow Mertz Bank location and the flow rate of the tongue. This calving cycle also explains the cyclic variations in sea-surface conditions around the Mertz detected by earlier studies.

scholarly journals Geometric Accuracy Improvement Method for High-Resolution Optical Satellite Remote Sensing Imagery Combining Multi-Temporal SAR Imagery and GLAS Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 568
Author(s):  
Quansheng Zhu ◽  
Wanshou Jiang ◽  
Ying Zhu ◽  
Linze Li
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Satellite Remote Sensing ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Geometric Accuracy ◽  
Laser Altimetry ◽  
Multi Temporal ◽  
Improvement Method ◽  
Optical Imagery ◽  
Sar Imagery

With the widespread availability of satellite data, a single region can be described using multi-source and multi-temporal remote sensing data, such as high-resolution (HR) optical imagery, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, and space-borne laser altimetry data. These have become the main source of data for geopositioning. However, due to the limitation of the direct geometric accuracy of HR optical imagery and the effect of the small intersection angle of HR optical imagery in stereo pair orientation, the geometric accuracy of HR optical imagery cannot meet the requirements for geopositioning without ground control points (GCPs), especially in uninhabited areas, such as forests, plateaus, or deserts. Without satellite attitude error, SAR usually provides higher geometric accuracy than optical satellites. Space-borne laser altimetry technology can collect global laser footprints with high altitude accuracy. Therefore, this paper presents a geometric accuracy improvement method for HR optical satellite remote sensing imagery combining multi-temporal SAR Imagery and GLAS data without GCPs. Based on the imaging mechanism, the differences in the weight matrix determination of the HR optical imagery and SAR imagery were analyzed. The laser altimetry data with high altitude accuracy were selected and applied as height control point in combined geopositioning. To validate the combined geopositioning approach, GaoFen2 (GF2) optical imagery, GaoFen6 (GF6) optical imagery, GaoFen3 (GF3) SAR imagery, and the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) footprint were tested. The experimental results show that the proposed model can be effectively applied to combined geopositioning to improve the geometric accuracy of HR optical imagery. Moreover, we found that the distribution and weight matrix determination of SAR images and the distribution of GLAS footprints are the crucial factors influencing geometric accuracy. Combined geopositioning using multi-source remote sensing data can achieve a plane accuracy of 1.587 m and an altitude accuracy of 1.985 m, which is similar to the geometric accuracy of geopositioning of GF2 with GCPs.

scholarly journals A Synergetic Approach for the Space-Based Sea Surface Currents Retrieval in the Mediterranean Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Ciani ◽  
Marie-Hélène Rio ◽  
Milena Menna ◽  
Rosalia Santoleri
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Hf Radar ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Sicily Channel

We present a method for the remote retrieval of the sea surface currents in the Mediterranean Sea. Combining the altimeter-derived currents with sea-surface temperature information, we created daily, gap-free high resolution maps of sea surface currents for the period 2012–2016. The quality of the new multi-sensor currents has been assessed through comparisons to other surface-currents estimates, as the ones obtained from drifting buoys trajectories (at the basin scale), or HF-Radar platforms and ocean numerical model outputs in the Malta–Sicily Channel. The study yielded that our synergetic approach can improve the present-day derivation of the surface currents in the Mediterranean area up to 30% locally, with better performances for the the meridional component of the motion and in the western section of the basin. The proposed reconstruction method also showed satisfying performances in the retrieval of the ageostrophic circulation in the Sicily Channel. In this area, assuming the High Frequency Radar-derived currents as reference, the merged multi-sensor currents exhibited improvements with respect to the altimeter estimates and numerical model outputs, mainly due to their enhanced spatial and temporal resolution.

Validation of HF radar sea surface currents in the Malta-Sicily Channel

2019 ◽  
Vol 225 ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fulvio Capodici ◽  
Simone Cosoli ◽  
Giuseppe Ciraolo ◽  
Carmelo Nasello ◽  
Antonino Maltese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hf Radar ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Sicily Channel
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