Monitoring Seawater Temperatures Using AVHRR Satellite Imagery And An Underwater Temperature Recorder: Trends, Limitations And Applicability
Quinn NJ and Kojis BL. 1994. Monitoring Seawater Temperatures Using AVHRR Satellite Imagery And An Underwater Temperature Recorder: Trends, Limitations And Applicability
Looked at differences between surface sea temperature (which can be measured by satellite) subsurface sea temperature (where sea life is found). Lameshur Bay, St. John was one of the two study sites. Long-term, high resolution sea water temperature data sets are essential in studies involving fish growth rates, deleterious changes in marine population densities, fish mortalities, and large-scale environmental changes such as coral bleaching. Rising temperatures could adversely affect coral reefs causing severe economic losses from deterioration of reef fisheries, tourism, and shore protection. In the absence of in situ subsurface data there is the temptation by resource managers to use remote sensed data. Satellite measurements of sea surface temperature have inherent problems, but the most disturbing limitation to coastal zone resource managers is that they only record the temperature of the top millimeter of the ocean surface, an area generally void of a permanent biota. This study examines variations between satellite obtained SST (sea surface temperature) and sea water temperature obtained in situ at the depth of many Caribbean shallow water marine communities. Significant differences were found between these data.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Quinn, Norman; Kojis, Barbara
- Date of Issue
- 1994
- Units
- VIIS
- Keywords
- Aquatic Sciences, Lameshur Bay, Remote Sensing, St. John, US Virgin Islands, Water Temperature