Happy WorldWaterDay! 🌊 From their vantage points above the Earth, NOAA satellites provide us with more information about Earth's water systems than is possible to obtain solely from the surface. Learn more about how satellites can see the sea:
. This sensor captures new data every day, allowing scientists to piece together series of maps that show sea surface temperature variations over time for different regions around the globe.Satellites also provide information about the color of the ocean. For example, color data helps researchers determine the impact of floods along the coast, detect river plumes, and locatethat can contaminate shellfish and kill other fish and marine mammals.
The surface of the ocean bulges outward and inward, mimicking the topography of the ocean floor. The bumps, too small to be seen, can be measured by a radar altimeter aboard a satellite. Satellite imagery may also be used to map features in the water, such as coral reefs. Sea floor geology is far simpler than the geology of the continents because erosion rates are lower, and also because the continents have suffered multiple collisions associated with the opening and closing of ocean basins. Despite its relative youth and geologic simplicity, most of this deep seafloor has remained poorly understood because it is masked by the ocean.
is composed of two types of satellites: geostationary operational environmental satellites for short-range forecasts, warnings, and observations; and polar-orbiting satellites for longer-term forecasting. Both types of satellite are necessary to provide a complete global weather-monitoring system.Satellites providing environmental imagery may also be used jointly with other organizations that receive data from various sensors.
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