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Space for the sea: highlighting ESA activities at Oceanology International   It’s a clear January day over much of England and Wales on this full resolution Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) Image. Off the south coast of England the light green colour surrounding the Isle of White is suspended sediment, sedimentation is very high in this area. Sediment is also being transported into the Bristol Estuary from the River Severn in south western England, with the city itself just on the eastern side of the estuary. In the centre of England is the city of Birmingham, and to the north of here Manchester, and on the north west coast Liverpool. Running up the centre of the country from the east of Manchester are the Pennines. In Wales Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons can be clearly, with light cloud scattered above them. Technical Information: Instrument: MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) Acquisition date: 23 Jan 2003 Orbit number: 04700 Resolution: Full Resolution image (300 - metre resolution)  Satellites return data that enable operational meteorology and sea surface forecasting in support of offshore industrial activity such as oil and gas extraction.  Image taken by the MERIS instrument on board Envisat on 24 March 2002. The main island in this MERIS image of the Caribbean Sea is Cuba, the largest and westernmost island in the West Indies. Its 3740-km coastline has coral islands and white, sandy beaches to the north. South of Cuba is Jamaica. The highest point on the island is the Blue Mountain Peak, at 2256 meters. Hidden by the clouds, are The Bahamas, an archipelago of about 700 islands extending from Florida, to the eastern tip of Cuba. The beautiful turquoise colour of the waters around these islands is due to shallow water and the presence of coral reefs. The Caribbean Sea contains unique coral reefs, the only ones active in the Atlantic Ocean. Coral, however, can survive only in a narrow range of temperatures and a global rise in sea temperatures could threaten their survival and affect the economies of the region.
Technical Information:
 RA-2 measures the satellite’s height above the surface to an accuracy of 4.5 cm. When combined with exact orbital tracking data from DORIS, RA-2 measurements yield a profile of the sea surface below. MWR measures amount of water vapour in atmosphere to correct RA-2 radar signals for best accuracy  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: 11 June 2004 |