SeaWiFS Information: CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Remote Sensing Project Marine and Atmospheric Research Remote Sensing Facility

OCTS and SeaWiFS ocean colour sensors

SeaWiFS

SeaWiFS (Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) provides quantitative data on optical properties of the global oceans and land surfaces and from these the concentration of microscopic marine plants (phytoplankton) can be estimated. Usage of the data is restricted, see below.

See early examples of ocean colour images in Australian waters
or a 3 month set for waters off New South Wales .

After a gap of 11 years since the outstanding results of the original Ocean Colour space borne sensor (the "CZCS" aboard the NIMBUS satellite), this second generation sensor is delivering a large scale view of the physical and biological state of the oceans at a resolution of about 1.1 kilometers.

The SeaWiFS project for 1997 to 2004 was directed by the US Government's NASA organisation. For global SeaWiFS images and more information see the : SeaWiFS Project home page. .

The Division Of Marine and Atmospheric Research is receiving SeaWiFS data daily in Hobart, covering all the South-eastern seaboard plus southern Western Australia, southern Queensland and New Zealand. From its launch in Sep 1997 until 11th March 1998 the data obtained is freely available and since that date the data is restricted to approved researchers. At the Division one particular research project was:

OCEAN COLOUR FISHERIES APPLICATIONS PROJECT

A study has been completed on the application of SeaWiFS high resolution Ocean Colour data for strategic use in pelagic fisheries such as skipjack and yellowfin tuna. The aim was to develop a predictive capacity for tuna distribution and movement to aid the decision making process of fishers on when and where they decide to fish.

Collaborating fishing vessels supplied logbook information and were equipped to continuously measure, while underway, data on fluorescence, temperature and salinity. Analysis of this data together with the collection of water samples for detailed laboratory analysis has been used to validate the accuracy of the ocean colour data with the aim of eventually improving the underlying algorithms to estimate phytoplankton concentration.

RESTRICTIONS ON SeaWiFs DATA AND IMAGERY

All data from 12th March 1998 onwards are available commercially. Data up to 24 December 2004 are otherwise restricted to NASA approved researchers. Data after this date is restricted to researchers with a research licence obtained directly from GeoEye (previously named Orbimage).
The SeaWiFS instrument was built and launched by Orbital Image under contract to NASA. Commercial rights belong to the marketing arm of GeoEye. All broadcast data is scrambled and requires a decryption key from Orbimage. Data are available commercially only from GeoEye and its dealers. The following link is provided to GeoEye in regard to SeaWiFs: http://www.geoeye.com/products/imagery/orbview2/

the OCTS sensor

OCTS (Ocean Colour and Thermal Scanner) started operating on the Japanese ADEOS I satellite in November 1996 and ceased in June 1997 due to an unknown catastrophic failure. The archive of data over the Australasian region has been processed to chlorophpyll concentration and related products and quick-looks of these can be viewed here.

Links:

Other sites in Australia also receiving SeaWiFS data are:
WASTAC. (Western Australian Satellite Technology and Applications Consortium). and
A.I.M.S. Australian Institute of Marine Science remote sensing facility.

The Australian research initiative in Ocean Colour is coordinated by the Australian Ocean Colour Working Group under the CSIRO Earth Observation Centre.

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