OS047:
Interpretation of Mesoscale Features in Satellite Data
Convener:
William Crawford
Institute of Ocean Sciences
9860 West Saanich Road
Sidney, BC, CAN V8L 4B2
250 363 6369
crawfordb@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Andrew Thomas
University of Maine
5741 Libby Hall
Orono, ME, USA 04469-5741
207 581 4335
thomas@maine.edu
Index Terms:
4520 4294 4275 4842 4855 .
Description:
Satellite measurements of ocean colour, temperature, wind, surface
roughness and height reveal a fascinating array of mesoscale variability. Much of this
information is readily available in near real time over the Internet. Yet it can be difficult
to determine the oceanic processes that form these features, or the impact of these
features, based on single images, limited temporal observation windows, and/or on
satellite data alone. We encourage papers that combine satellite observations of
mesoscale features with other techniques or observations to determine biological,
chemical and/or physical processes.
These techniques could include: •Merging satellite data with products from different
platforms; (e.g. ships, moorings, gliders, other satellite data or Argo floats); •Application
of numerical models; •Statistical approaches to quantifying mesoscale variability within
time-series of satellite observations in a region over days to years.
We anticipate this session will provide new understanding of how mesoscale ocean
processes impact the ocean, as well as examples of new techniques to assist interpretation
and application of data from our increasingly diverse instruments.