Advances in satellite radiometry for the surveillance of surface temperatures, ocean eddies and upwelling processes in the Gulf of Mexico using GOES-8 measurements during summer

Abstract

GOES-8 satellite infrared (IR) measurements have been under-utilized in oceanographic research, although they provide several advantages over measurements from other sensors such as the NOAA AVHRR. Frequent coverage (48 times/day) over large regions, low noise in the mid- IR channel, and sole use of nighttime data have enabled the development of improved techniques for producing "de-clouded" images and calculating accurate SSTs (with RMS errors <0.5°C), over cloudy and humid regions such as the Gulf of Mexico. Animations of SST composite images reveal movements of the Loop Current, its frontal eddies and coastal upwelling even during summer months. GOES-12 and future GOES imagers for the next decade are missing the 12 μm channel; however, this study demonstrates that the mid-IR channel is even more useful than previously thought.