Special Issue "Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation"

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 October 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chung-Ru Ho
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marine Environmental Informatics, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan
Interests: remote sensing, physical oceanography, global change, satellite oceanography
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Antony K. Liu
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Interests: ocean waves; oceanographic regions; remote sensing by radar; oceanographic techniques; radar imaging; synthetic aperture radar; ocean temperature; solitons; spaceborne radar
Dr. Xiaofeng Li
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NCWCP - E/RA3, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Interests: AI oceanography; big data; ocean remote sensing; physical oceanography; boundary layer meteorology; synthetic aperture radar imaging mechanism; multiple-polarization radar applications; satellite image classification and segmentation
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the launch of Seasat, TIROS-N, and Nimbus-7 satellites equipped with ocean observation sensors in 1978, there has been a new era of studying ocean from satellites. Today, ocean remote sensing data observed from satellites have been widely used in oceanographic studies. Drones and coast-based sensors are also used to observe ocean phenomena. Therefore, this Special Issue will cover all aspects of the application of remote sensing data/techniques in ocean observations using data from spaceborne, airborne, and ground sensors, as well as artificial intelligence and big data technologies. The scope of this Special Issue includes but is not limited to the use of ocean color sensors, radiometers, scatterometers, altimeters, radars, and LiDAR applications in ocean observations, such as internal waves, eddies, oil spills, algae blooms, sea ice, stray waves, upwelling, bathymetry, atmosphere–ocean coupling, etc. The use of drones to observe marine debris and coastal radars to observe ocean waves and coastal currents are also welcome.

Dr. Chung-Ru Ho
Dr. Antony K. Liu
Dr. Xiaofeng Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ocean remote sensing
  • internal waves
  • eddies
  • oil spills
  • algal blooms
  • sea ices
  • rogue waves
  • upwelling
  • bathymetry
  • air-sea interaction
  • marine debris

Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

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Article
Response of Total Suspended Sediment and Chlorophyll-a Concentration to Late Autumn Typhoon Events in the Northwestern South China Sea
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(15), 2863; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13152863 - 21 Jul 2021
Viewed by 447
Abstract
Strong typhoon winds enhance turbulent mixing, which induces sediment to resuspend and to promote chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) blooms in the continental shelf areas. In this study, we find limited Chl-a responses to three late autumn typhoons (typhoon Nesat, Mujigae and Khanun) in the northwestern [...] Read more.
Strong typhoon winds enhance turbulent mixing, which induces sediment to resuspend and to promote chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) blooms in the continental shelf areas. In this study, we find limited Chl-a responses to three late autumn typhoons (typhoon Nesat, Mujigae and Khanun) in the northwestern South China Sea (NWSCS) using satellite observations. In climatology, the Chl-a and total suspended sediment (TSS) concentrations are high all year round with higher value in autumn in the offshore area of the NWSCS. After the typhoon passage, the Chl-a concentration increases slightly (23%), while even TSS enhances by 280% on the wide continental shelf of the NWSCS. However, in the southern area, located approximately 100 km from the typhoon tracks, both TSS and Chl-a concentrations increase 160% and 150% after typhoon passage, respectively. In the deeper area, the increased TSS concentration is responsible for the considerable increase of the Chl-a. An empirical analysis is applied to the data, which reveals the TSS and Chl-a processes during typhoon events. The results of this study suggest a different mechanism for Chl-a concentration increase and thus contribute toward further evaluation of typhoon-induced biological responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
An Improved Cloud Masking Method for GOCI Data over Turbid Coastal Waters
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(14), 2722; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13142722 - 10 Jul 2021
Viewed by 611
Abstract
Clouds severely hinder the radiative transmission of visible light; thus, correctly masking cloudy and non-cloudy pixels is a preliminary step in processing ocean color remote sensing data. However, cloud masking over turbid waters is prone to misjudgment, leading to loss of non-cloudy pixel [...] Read more.
Clouds severely hinder the radiative transmission of visible light; thus, correctly masking cloudy and non-cloudy pixels is a preliminary step in processing ocean color remote sensing data. However, cloud masking over turbid waters is prone to misjudgment, leading to loss of non-cloudy pixel data. This research proposes an improved cloud masking method over turbid water to classify cloudy and non-cloudy pixels based on spectral variability of Rayleigh-corrected reflectance acquired by the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI). Compared with other existing cloud masking methods, we demonstrated that this improved method can identify the spatial positions and shapes of clouds more realistically, and more accurate pixels of turbid waters were retained. This improved method can be effectively applied in typical turbid coastal waters. It has potential to be used in cloud masking procedures of spaceborne ocean color sensors without short-wave infrared bands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
A Strong Kuroshio Intrusion into the South China Sea and Its Accompanying Cold-Core Anticyclonic Eddy in Winter 2020–2021
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(14), 2645; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13142645 - 06 Jul 2021
Viewed by 386
Abstract
Multiple remote sensing datasets, combined with in-situ drifter observations, were used to analyze the Kuroshio intrusion through the Luzon Strait (LS). The results showed that a strong Kuroshio Current Loop (KCL) and accompanying anticyclonic eddy (ACE) existed in winter 2020–2021. As quantitatively demonstrated [...] Read more.
Multiple remote sensing datasets, combined with in-situ drifter observations, were used to analyze the Kuroshio intrusion through the Luzon Strait (LS). The results showed that a strong Kuroshio Current Loop (KCL) and accompanying anticyclonic eddy (ACE) existed in winter 2020–2021. As quantitatively demonstrated by the Double Index (DI), the Kuroshio Warm Eddy Index (KWI) had low values during a long sustained period compared to those in all other years in the available historical records. Remarkable kinematic properties (i.e., amplitude, diameter, propagated distance, lifespan and propagating speed) of the accompanying ACE were extracted by automatic eddy detection algorithms, showing that the ACE had a maximum diameter of 381 km and a peak amplitude of 50 cm, which significantly exceeded the previous statistics in winter. The orographic negative wind stress curl southwest of Taiwan Island and the westward Ekman transport through the LS during the winter half year of 2020–2021 both had large values beyond their historical maxima. Hence wind forcing is regarded as the primary forcing mechanism during this event. Alternating cyclonic eddies (CEs) and ACEs approaching on the east of the LS were identified, indicating that the interaction between the Kuroshio and the impinging CEs at proper locations made extra contributions to enhancing the KCL. The accompanying ACE had a distinctive feature of a cold-core structure at the surface layer, so as to be categorized as a cold core ACE (CC-ACE), and the temperature difference between the cold core and outer warm ring was maintained for three months. The generation and long duration of the CC-ACE may be due to the sustaining entrainment supported by the warm water from Kuroshio intrusion and the Northwest Luzon Coastal Current (NWLCC) successively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Satellite Investigation of Semidiurnal Internal Tides in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(13), 2530; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132530 - 28 Jun 2021
Viewed by 372
Abstract
The mode-1 semidiurnal internal tides that emanate from multiple sources in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas are investigated using multi-satellite altimeter data from 1993–2020. A practical plane-wave analysis method is used to separately extract multiple coherent internal tides, with the nontidal noise in the internal [...] Read more.
The mode-1 semidiurnal internal tides that emanate from multiple sources in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas are investigated using multi-satellite altimeter data from 1993–2020. A practical plane-wave analysis method is used to separately extract multiple coherent internal tides, with the nontidal noise in the internal tide field further removed by a two-dimensional (2-D) spatial band-pass filter. The complex radiation pathways and interference patterns of the internal tides are revealed, showing a spatial contrast between the Sulu Sea and the Sulawesi Sea. The mode-1 semidiurnal internal tides in the Sulawesi Sea are effectively generated from both the Sulu and Sangihe Island chains, forming a spatially inhomogeneous interference pattern in the deep basin. A cylindrical internal tidal wave pattern from the Sibutu passage is confirmed for the first time, which modulates the interference pattern. The interference field can be reproduced by a line source model. A weak reflected internal tidal beam off the Sulawesi slope is revealed. In contrast, the Sulu Island chain is the sole energetic internal tide source in the Sulu Sea, thus featuring a relatively consistent wave and energy flux field in the basin. These energetic semidiurnal internal tidal beams contribute to the frequent occurrence of internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the study area. On the basis of the 28-year consistent satellite measurements, the northward semidiurnal tidal energy flux from the Sulu Island chain is 0.46 GW, about 25% of the southward energy flux. For M2, the altimetric estimated energy fluxes from the Sulu Island chain are about 80% of those from numerical simulations. The total semidiurnal tidal energy flux from the Sulu and Sangihe Island chains into the Sulawesi Sea is about 2.7 GW. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Spatiotemporal Variability of Chlorophyll-a and Sea Surface Temperature, and Their Relationship with Bathymetry over the Coasts of UAE
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(13), 2447; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132447 - 23 Jun 2021
Viewed by 459
Abstract
The catastrophic implication of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in the Arabian Gulf is a strong indication that the study of the spatiotemporal distribution of chlorophyll-a and its relationship with other variables is critical. This study analyzes the relationship between chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and [...] Read more.
The catastrophic implication of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in the Arabian Gulf is a strong indication that the study of the spatiotemporal distribution of chlorophyll-a and its relationship with other variables is critical. This study analyzes the relationship between chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature (SST) and their trends in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman along the United Arab Emirates coast. Additionally, the relationship between bathymetry and Chl-a and SST was examined. The MODIS Aqua product with a resolution of 1 × 1 km2 was employed for both chlorophyll-a and SST covering a timeframe from 2003 to 2019. The highest concentration of chlorophyll-a was seen in the Strait of Hormuz with an average of 2.8 mg m−3, which is 1.1 mg m−3 higher than the average for the entire study area. Three-quarters of the study area showed a significant correlation between the Chl-a and SST. The shallow (deep) areas showed a strong positive (negative) correlation between the Chl-a and SST. The results indicate the presence of trends for both variables across most of the study area. SST significantly increased in more than two-thirds of the study area in the summer with no significant trends detected in the winter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Small Angle Scattering Intensity Measurement by an Improved Ocean Scheimpflug Lidar System
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(12), 2390; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13122390 - 18 Jun 2021
Viewed by 374
Abstract
Quantification of the horizontal patterns of phytoplankton and the distribution of suspended particles across the sea’s surface has been greatly improved by traditional passive oceanic color remote sensing technology. Lidar technology has already been proven to be effective positive remote sensing technology to [...] Read more.
Quantification of the horizontal patterns of phytoplankton and the distribution of suspended particles across the sea’s surface has been greatly improved by traditional passive oceanic color remote sensing technology. Lidar technology has already been proven to be effective positive remote sensing technology to construct high-resolution bathymetry models. Lidar technology significantly improves our ability to model biogeochemical processes in the upper ocean and provides advanced concepts regarding the vertical distribution of suspended particles and oceanic optical properties. In this paper, we present a novel optical approach to measuring the scattering intensity and characteristics of suspended particles within small angles backwards and distinguish water medium with different attenuation coefficients by a laboratory demonstration of the ocean Scheimpflug lidar system. The approach allows the direct determination of the scattering intensity over a small angle at the backward direction (175.8~178.8°) with an angular resolution of 0.38. Corrections for the effects of refraction at the air-glass-water interface were demonstrated. The data production (initial width and width attenuation rate of the laser beam) of the ocean Scheimpflug lidar system were utilized to distinguish water with different algae concentrations. Application for the measurement of backward scattering intensity and laser beam width were explored in distances up to several meters with spatial resolutions of millimeter precision. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Unusual Fish Assemblages Associated with Environmental Changes in the East China Sea in February and March 2017
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(9), 1768; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13091768 - 01 May 2021
Viewed by 491
Abstract
Two large fish assemblages were recorded in the overwintering fishing grounds of the East China Sea in February and March 2017. In this study, available time series of satellite-derived sea surface temperature, wind, chlorophyll a, and reanalysis data were used to explore [...] Read more.
Two large fish assemblages were recorded in the overwintering fishing grounds of the East China Sea in February and March 2017. In this study, available time series of satellite-derived sea surface temperature, wind, chlorophyll a, and reanalysis data were used to explore the relationships between the observed large fish aggregations and environmental factors. The bottom waters of the fishing grounds were abnormally warm in winter 2017, and then experienced significant cooling due to the eastward movement of the Yellow Sea Cold Current, which was driven by the increased northwesterly wind from January to mid-March 2017. Fishing areas in the affected region, including No. 1891, which was abnormally warm, and No. 1592, which had a strong thermal front and high chlorophyll a concentration, might have provided suitable environments for the warm-temperature fish, resulting in the observed large fish assemblages. The abnormal temperature changes between winter and early spring 2017 may have been associated with changes in local ocean circulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Assessment of Normalized Water-Leaving Radiance Derived from GOCI Using AERONET-OC Data
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(9), 1640; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13091640 - 22 Apr 2021
Viewed by 542
Abstract
The geostationary ocean color imager (GOCI), as the world’s first operational geostationary ocean color sensor, is aiming at monitoring short-term and small-scale changes of waters over the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Before assessing its capability of detecting subdiurnal changes of seawater properties, a fundamental [...] Read more.
The geostationary ocean color imager (GOCI), as the world’s first operational geostationary ocean color sensor, is aiming at monitoring short-term and small-scale changes of waters over the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Before assessing its capability of detecting subdiurnal changes of seawater properties, a fundamental understanding of the uncertainties of normalized water-leaving radiance (nLw) products introduced by atmospheric correction algorithms is necessarily required. This paper presents the uncertainties by accessing GOCI-derived nLw products generated by two commonly used operational atmospheric algorithms, the Korea Ocean Satellite Center (KOSC) standard atmospheric algorithm adopted in GOCI Data Processing System (GDPS) and the NASA standard atmospheric algorithm implemented in Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor Data Analysis System (SeaDAS/l2gen package), with Aerosol Robotic Network Ocean Color (AERONET-OC) provided nLw data. The nLw data acquired from the GOCI sensor based on two algorithms and four AERONET-OC sites of Ariake, Ieodo, Socheongcho, and Gageocho from October 2011 to March 2019 were obtained, matched, and analyzed. The GDPS-generated nLw data are slightly better than that with SeaDAS at visible bands; however, the mean percentage relative errors for both algorithms at blue bands are over 30%. The nLw data derived by GDPS is of better quality both in clear and turbid water, although underestimation is observed at near-infrared (NIR) band (865 nm) in turbid water. The nLw data derived by SeaDAS are underestimated in both clear and turbid water, and the underestimation worsens toward short visible bands. Moreover, both algorithms perform better at noon (02 and 03 Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)), and worse in the early morning and late afternoon. It is speculated that the uncertainties in nLw measurements arose from aerosol models, NIR water-leaving radiance correction method, and bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) correction method in corresponding atmospheric correction procedure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Ship Detection and Feature Visualization Analysis Based on Lightweight CNN in VH and VV Polarization Images
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(6), 1184; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13061184 - 19 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 680
Abstract
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a significant application in maritime monitoring, which can provide SAR data throughout the day and in all weather conditions. With the development of artificial intelligence and big data technologies, the data-driven convolutional neural network (CNN) has become widely [...] Read more.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a significant application in maritime monitoring, which can provide SAR data throughout the day and in all weather conditions. With the development of artificial intelligence and big data technologies, the data-driven convolutional neural network (CNN) has become widely used in ship detection. However, the accuracy, feature visualization, and analysis of ship detection need to be improved further, when the CNN method is used. In this letter, we propose a two-stage ship detection for land-contained sea area without a traditional sea-land segmentation process. First, to decrease the possibly existing false alarms from the island, an island filter is used as the first step, and then threshold segmentation is used to quickly perform candidate detection. Second, a two-layer lightweight CNN model-based classifier is built to separate false alarms from the ship object. Finally, we discuss the CNN interpretation and visualize in detail when the ship is predicted in vertical–horizontal (VH) and vertical–vertical (VV) polarization. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method can reach an accuracy of 99.4% and an F1 score of 0.99 based on the Sentinel-1 images for a ship with a size of less than 32 × 32. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Spatiotemporal Variability of Mesoscale Eddies in the Indonesian Seas
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(5), 1017; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13051017 - 08 Mar 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 690
Abstract
Mesoscale eddies are ubiquitous in the world ocean and well researched both globally and regionally, while their properties and distributions across the whole Indonesian Seas are not yet fully understood. This study investigates for the first time the spatiotemporal variations and generation mechanisms [...] Read more.
Mesoscale eddies are ubiquitous in the world ocean and well researched both globally and regionally, while their properties and distributions across the whole Indonesian Seas are not yet fully understood. This study investigates for the first time the spatiotemporal variations and generation mechanisms of mesoscale eddies across the whole Indonesian Seas. Eddies are detected from altimetry sea level anomalies by an automatic identification algorithm. The Sulu Sea, Sulawesi Sea, Maluku Sea and Banda Sea are the main eddy generation regions. More than 80% of eddies are short-lived with a lifetime below 30 days. The properties of eddies exhibit high spatial inhomogeneity, with the typical amplitudes and radiuses of 2–6 cm and 50–160 km, respectively. The most energetic eddies are observed in the Sulawesi Sea and Seram Sea. Eddies feature different seasonal cycles between anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies in each basin, especially given that the average latitude of the eddy centroid has inverse seasonal variations. About 48% of eddies in the Sulawesi Sea are highly nonlinear, which is the case for less than 30% in the Sulu Sea and Banda Sea. Instability analysis is performed using high-resolution model outputs from Bluelink Reanalysis to assess mechanisms of eddy generation. Barotropic instability of the mean flow dominates eddy generation in the Sulu Sea and Sulawesi Sea, while baroclinic instability is slightly more in the Maluku Sea and Banda Sea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Long-Term Changes in the Unique and Largest Seagrass Meadows in the Bohai Sea (China) Using Satellite (1974–2019) and Sonar Data: Implication for Conservation and Restoration
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(5), 856; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13050856 - 25 Feb 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 578
Abstract
Seagrass meadows play critical roles in supporting a high level of biodiversity but are continuously threatened by human activities, such as sea reclamation. In this study, we reported on a large seagrass (Zostera marina L.) meadow in Caofeidian shoal harbor in the Bohai [...] Read more.
Seagrass meadows play critical roles in supporting a high level of biodiversity but are continuously threatened by human activities, such as sea reclamation. In this study, we reported on a large seagrass (Zostera marina L.) meadow in Caofeidian shoal harbor in the Bohai Sea of northern China. We evaluated the environmental impact of sea reclamation activities using Landsat imagery (1974–2019) by mapping seagrass meadow distribution changes. ISODATA was adopted for the unsupervised classification and mapping of seagrass beds. The error matrix developed using the in situ data obtained from acoustic surveys for Landsat 8OLI image classification was 87.20% accurate. The maps showed rapidly increasing changes in seagrass meadows as the amount of reclaimed land increased. Some seagrass meadows experienced large-scale changes, and sea reclamation has been suggested as the main factor responsible for habitat loss, which results from physical damage, excessive sedimentation, and increased turbidity caused by reclamation. In addition, habitat degradation may have resulted from three storm surges induced by typhoons in 1992–1998. Fortunately, land reclamation, forming an artificial “longshore bar”, buffers seagrass meadows from wave actions, providing relatively sheltered conditions, which has allowed a large habitat increase since 2012. These were the largest eelgrass meadows (3,217.32 ha), with a peripheral area of ~100 km2, in the Bohai Sea of northern China in 2019. However, the existing largest eelgrass beds in China are threatened by trawling, clam harvesting (especially clam sucking), channel dredging, and culture pond construction. Our work will help coastal managers monitor the environmental impacts of reclamation activities on seagrass meadows on a large spatio-temporal scale and will also provide information for seagrass restoration using artificial “longshore bars”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Communication
Remotely Sensed Seasonal Shoreward Intrusion of the East Australian Current: Implications for Coastal Ocean Dynamics
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(5), 854; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13050854 - 25 Feb 2021
Viewed by 596
Abstract
For decades, the presence of a seasonal intrusion of the East Australian Current (EAC) has been disputed. In this study, with a Topographic Position Index (TPI)-based image processing technique, we use a 26-year satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST) dataset to quantitatively map the [...] Read more.
For decades, the presence of a seasonal intrusion of the East Australian Current (EAC) has been disputed. In this study, with a Topographic Position Index (TPI)-based image processing technique, we use a 26-year satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST) dataset to quantitatively map the EAC off northern New South Wales (NSW, Australia, 28–32°S and ~154°E). Our mapping products have enabled direct measurement (“distance” and “area”) of the EAC’s shoreward intrusion, and the results show that the EAC intrusion exhibits seasonal cycles, moving closer to the coast in austral summer than in winter. The maximum EAC-to-coast distance usually occurs during winter, ranging from 30 to 40 km. In contrast, the minimum distance usually occurs during summer, ranging from 15 to 25 km. Further spatial analyses indicate that the EAC undergoes a seasonal shift upstream of 29°40′S and seasonal widening downstream. This is the first time that the seasonality of the EAC intrusion has been confirmed by long-term remote-sensing observation. The findings provide new insights into seasonal upwelling and shelf circulation previously observed off the NSW coast. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Mapping the Coastal Upwelling East of Taiwan Using Geostationary Satellite Data
Remote Sens. 2021, 13(2), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13020170 - 06 Jan 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 723
Abstract
Coastal upwelling is important for coastal ecosystems and the blue economy because of its large productivity and large potential for catching fish. However, coastal upwelling along the Taiwan east coast has received little attention from the research community. This study used five-year daily [...] Read more.
Coastal upwelling is important for coastal ecosystems and the blue economy because of its large productivity and large potential for catching fish. However, coastal upwelling along the Taiwan east coast has received little attention from the research community. This study used five-year daily Himawari-8 geostationary satellite sea surface temperature data to map the coastal upwelling east of Taiwan during the summer monsoon season. We applied a semi-automatic image process technique based on the topographic position index for the quantitative upwelling mapping. The results show clear evidence of seasonal coastal upwelling along the entire Taiwan east coast, mainly under the influence of upwelling-favorable southwesterly/southerly winds. There are three broad upwelling centers along the Taiwan east coast: north, central, and south. The upwelling around the northern center has the longest upwelling season, lasting from May to September. The upwelling extents are larger between June and August during the height of the summer monsoon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Article
Oil Spill Detection and Mapping: A 50-Year Bibliometric Analysis
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(21), 3647; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12213647 - 06 Nov 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 950
Abstract
Oil spill detection and mapping (OSPM) is an extremely relevant issue from a scientific point of view due to the environmental impact on coastal and marine ecosystems. In this study, we present a new approach to assess scientific literature for the past 50 [...] Read more.
Oil spill detection and mapping (OSPM) is an extremely relevant issue from a scientific point of view due to the environmental impact on coastal and marine ecosystems. In this study, we present a new approach to assess scientific literature for the past 50 years. In this sense, our study aims to perform a bibliometric and network analysis using a literature review on the application of OSPM to assess researchers and trends in this field of science. In methodological terms we used the Scopus base to search for articles in the literature, then we used bibliometric tools to access information and reveal quantifying patterns in this field of literature. Our results suggest that the detection of oil in the sea has undergone a great evolution in the last decades and there is a strong relationship between the technological evolution aimed at detection with the improvement of remote sensing data acquisition methods. The most relevant contributions in this field of science involved countries such as China, the United States, and Canada. We revealed aspects of great importance and interest in OSPM literature using a bibliometric and network approach to give a clear overview of this field’s research trends. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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Letter
Springtime Upwelling and Its Formation Mechanism in Coastal Waters of Manaung Island, Myanmar
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(22), 3777; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12223777 - 18 Nov 2020
Viewed by 565
Abstract
Multisource satellite remote sensing data and the World Ocean Atlas 2018 (WOA18) temperature and salinity dataset have been used to analyze the spatial distribution, variability and possible forcing mechanisms of the upwelling off Manaung Island, Myanmar. Signals of upwelling exist off the coasts [...] Read more.
Multisource satellite remote sensing data and the World Ocean Atlas 2018 (WOA18) temperature and salinity dataset have been used to analyze the spatial distribution, variability and possible forcing mechanisms of the upwelling off Manaung Island, Myanmar. Signals of upwelling exist off the coasts of Manaung Island, in western Myanmar during spring. It appears in February, reaches its peak in March and decays in May. Low-temperature (<28.3 °C) and high-salinity (>31.8 psu) water at the surface of this upwelling zone is caused by the upwelling of seawater from a depth below 100 m. The impact of the upwelling on temperature is more significant in the subsurface layer than that in the surface layer. In contrast, the impact of the upwelling on salinity in the surface layer is more significant. Further research reveals that the remote forcing from the equator predominantly induces the evolution of the upwelling, while the local wind forcing also contributes to strengthen the intensity of the upwelling during spring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation)
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