Through a satellite darkly: night views of European seas improve ESA ocean heat map


Sea
 
Covering 71% of the Earth's surface, the seas absorb and retain solar heat to a much greater extent than the land and atmosphere - it takes a lot of energy to heat them up, but once they are warmed, they stay warm. This makes sea surface temperature (SST) an important variable when it comes to estimating global warming.


 
An image of the waters around Spain's Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean Sea showing differences in surface water temperatures captured by Envisat's Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR). The most important feature of the AATSR instrument is its capability to measure the world’s ocean temperatures, a key parameter to monitor and understand planetary climate changes. AATSR, with its visible and infrared channels, is a key instrument onboard Envisat that helps climate researchers better understand the role of oceans in our biosphere. As this image demonstrates, the instrument also has the capability to detect phytoplankton, tiny algae living in the first tens of meter below the water’s surface.

Scientific and operational needs for ocean heating data
 

 
Accurate Sea Surface Temperature (SST) maps can also be used to steer fishermen towards better catches.

MSG-1 first image
 
This first image from MSG-1, now renamed Meteosat-8, is a colour composite derived from three of the twelve channels operating in the visible and infra-red parts of the spectrum used by MSG’s main instrument, the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra-red Imager (SEVIRI).

Medspiration and MARCOAST
 
East Mediterranean Sea - MERIS - 6 June 2002
 
At the top of the image, south of the Carpathian Mountains, the Danube brings sediment-rich waters into the Black Sea. Combined with the often-intense biological activity that takes place in this sea, the resulting phytoplankton and the suspended sediments create the vivid green patches seen in the image.

Further south, Greece, and the Aegean Sea are facing the Mediterranean. The Romans used to call the Mediterranean the ‘Mare Nostrum’, meaning, ‘Our Sea’. Since centuries, the navigation on its waters has played and important role in the development of European countries. MERIS, with its 15 visible and near-infrared channels enable the retrieval of water composition data. It provides Europe with an unprecedented tool to better understand and monitor the eco-systems of our coastal waters.



Release date: 17 March 2006