The TIROS-N and NOAA-6, and GOES visible infrared satellite data were used to identify and locate surface oceanographic thermal fronts for the purpose of issuing daily and premission advisory briefings in support of the Superflux 3 in situ and remote sensing experiment in the Chesapeake Bay region. Satellite data were collected for the period 1 - 22 October 1980. A summary of that data is presented

Crissman, B. W.

Vukovich, F. M.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

MONITORING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY 
USING SATELLITE DATA 
FOR SUPERFLUX I1 I+; 
Fred M. Vukovich and  Bobby W. Crissman 
Research Triangle  Institute 
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 
SUMMARY 
TIROS-N and NOAA-6, and GOES visible  infrared  satellite  data  were  used  to 
identify  and  locate surface oceanographic  thermal fronts for the purpose of 
issuing  daily  and pre-mission advisory  briefings in support of  the  Superflux 
I11 in situ and remote-sensing experiment in the Chesapeake Bay region. 
Satellite  data were collected  for  the  period 1 - 22 October 1980. A summary 
of that data  is  presented. 
INTRODUCTION 
The Research Triangle Institute  participated in the  Superflux I11 ex- 
periment  by  using  data  from TIROS-N, NOAA-6, and GOES  to  monitor ocean surface 
temperature  discontinuities in the Chesapeake  Bay  region. Both infrared  and 
visible  satellite  data were utilized  for  the  monitoring. RTI also used these 
satellite  data to prepare preoperational  briefings of expected  conditions for 
the  Superflux  field  operations  office  during  the  operating  period of Superflux 
111. 
SATELLITE DATA 
TIROS-N, NOM-6, and GOES visible and  infrared  satellite  data  were  used 
to monitor  continuously  the  Chesapeake  Bay region from 1 to 22 October 1980. 
Satellite  data were collected by  the  satellite  receiving station (RTI/SRS) 
located on the  campus of RTI. This facility  has  the  capability  to  interrogate 
the  TIROS-N and NOM-6 satellites in real  time  and to acquire quasi-real  time 
(within 15 minutes of acquisition)  GOES  satellite  data through a link with the 
Washington, D.C. GOES facility. 
+;Work performed for U. S. Department o f  Commerce , National Oceanic 
and  Atmospheric Administration, National  Marine Fisheries Service, the 
Northeast Region, under Contract No.  NA-81-FA-C-00002. 
93 
. .  
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19820002795 2020-03-21T11:52:09+00:00Z
The v i s i b l e  a n d   i n f r a r e d   s a t e l l i t e   d a t a   d e p i c t   o b s e r v e d   f e a t u r e s   i n  
con t r a s t ing   shades   (o r   l eve l s   o f   g ray ) .  The v i s i b l e   i m a g e r y  (0.55-0.9 pm f o r  
TIROS-N and NOAA-6 and  0.55-0.7 pm f o r  GOES) can   be   used   to   de l inea te   l and ,  
water ,   and   c loud/ fog   f ronts   o r   boundar ies .  The inf ra red   imagery  (10.5-11.5 pm 
f o r  TIROS-N and NOAA-6 and  10.5-12.6 pm f o r '  GOES) can   be   used   to   de l inea te  
su r face   ocean ic   t he rma l   f ron t s   a s soc ia t ed   w i th  a v a r i e t y   o f   e a t u r e s   , c h a r -  
ac t e r i zed  by  con t r a s t ing  t empera tu res .  The p r i m a r y  e f f o r t  i n  t h i s  p r o j e c t  was 
t o  i d e n t i f y  and loca te  the rma l  f ron t s  i n  the  Chesapeake  Bay reg ion .  
I n   o r d e r   t o   s a t i s f y   t h e   o b j e c t i v e s   o f   t h i s   p r o j e c t ,   c o n s i d e r a b l e   s a t -  
e l l i t e  imagery was c o l l e c t e d  from the   pe r iod  1 through 22 October  1980. The 
d a t a  f o r  TIROS-N and NOAA-6 a r e  o u t l i n e d  i n  T a b l e  1. and t h e  d a t a  f o r  t h e  GOES 
s a t e l l i t e   a r e   o u t l i n e d   i n   T a b l e  2 .  The da ta   represent   hose   days  when s k i e s  
were s u f f i c i e n t l y  c l e a r  f o r  t h e  o c e a n  s u r f a c e  i n  t h e  Chesapeake Bay r e g i o n  t o  
be observable .  
The a v a i l a b i l i t y   o f  NIMBUS 7 da t a  from the   coas t a l   zone   co lo r   s canne r  
(CZCS) was examined.  These  data would  complement the   ocean   co lor   da ta   co l -  
l e c t e d  by a i r c r a f t .   T a b l e  3 shows t h e   p o t e n t i a l   d a t a   a v a i l a b i l i t y  from t h e  
czcs. 
I t  was of i n t e r e s t  t o  examine   our   da ta   f i l es   to   de te rmine   the   da ta   ava i -  
l a b i l i t y   f o r   S u p e r f l u x  I and  Superflux I1 which were conduc ted   p r io r   t o   t he  
i n i t i a t i o n   o f   t h i s   c o n t r a c t .   T a b l e  4 gives   the   da tes   for   which   c lear -sky  
images a r e   a v a i l a b l e  from t h e  NOAA-6 and TIROS-N s a t e l l i t e s .  We a l s o  con- 
t a c t e d  NASA's Goddard Space   F l igh t   Center   to   de te rmine   the   ava i lab i l i ty   o f  
i n f r a r e d   d a t a  from the  Heat   Capaci ty  Mapping Mission (HCMM) s a t e l l i t e .  Data 
process ing  had no t   ye t   been  completed f o r  1980 da ta .   The re fo re ,  no determin- 
a t ions  could  be  made. 
DATA ANALYSIS 
Figures  1 through 7 y i e l d  examples of t h e  TIROS-N and NOAA-6 i n f r a r e d  
imagery f o r   t h e   p e r i o d  8 October  through 22 October  1980.  In  the  imagery, 
b lack  i s  warm and  white i s  co ld .  The l eve l s  o f  g ray  t r ea t  i n t e rmed ia t e  va lues '  
of   temperature .   These  images  are   general ly   character ized by t h e  same fea-  
t u r e s .  The Gulf  Stream warm water   egion  off   the   coast   of   the   Carol inas   and 
depa r t ing  from t h e  c o a s t a l  r e g i o n  a t  a r o u n d  Cape H a t t e r a s  i s  t h e  main c u r r e n t  
fea ture   found  of f   the   southeas t   coas t   o f   the   Uni ted   S ta tes   ( see   F igure   1 ) .   In  
the  Chesapeake Bay r eg ion ,   t he re  i s  a narrow  zone  (a darker  shade  of  gray 
r e l a t i v e   t o   t h e  immediate   surrounds,   in  Figure  1)  of  warm wa te r   o r i en ted  
nor th-south   found  a long   the   coas t .   Eas t   o f   tha t   nar row  zone   of  warm water is 
a l a r g e r  mass o f   co ld   wa te r   a l so   r i en ted   i n  a no r th - sou th   d i r ec t ion   ( t he  
l i g h t e r  s h a d e  of  gray  in  F igure  1) .  Eas t  o f  tha t  zone  i s  a l a r g e  mass of warm 
water  which  appears  to  be warmer t h a n  t h e  n e a r  c o a s t a l  warm water  because it 
has a darker shade of gray and which has fingers of warm wa te r  p ro t rud ing  in to  
the   co ld  mass  on the  western  side.   Immediately  south  of  the  Chesapeake Bay 
mouth  and s t r e t c h i n g   a s   f a r   s o u t h   a s   t h e  Oregon I n l e t   i n  many cases ,  i s  a 
94 
n a r r o w   z o n e   o f   c o l d   w a t e r   ( t h e   l i g h t e r   s h a d e   o f   g r a y   i n   F i g u r e  1) t r a p p e d  
a l o n g  t h e  s h o r e l i n e .  
F i g u r e s  8 t h r o u g h  10 t o g e t h e r  w i t h  F i g u r e  4 p r e s e n t  t h e  i n f r a r e d  i m a g e r y  
c o l l e c t e d   o n  16 October   1980  th rough  the   per iod  0047 GMT t o  2000 GMT. These 
d a t a  e s s e n t i a l l y  g i v e  a t e m p o r a l   d e s c r i p t i o n   o f   t h e   w a t e r   m a s s   o f f   t h e   c o a s t  
. near   the   Chesapeake  Bay  mouth f o r   t h a t   d a y .  The imagery  shows  the same  gen- 
e r a l   f e a t u r e s   o f f   t h e   c o a s t   n e a r   t h e   C h e s a p e a k e  Bay p r e v i o u s l y   d i s c u s s e d ;  
i . e . ,  the   nar row  zone   of  warm w a t e r   s t r e t c h i n g   n o r t h - s o u t h   a l o n g   t h e   c o a s t ,  
t h e   c o l d e r   w a t e r   f u r t h e r   e a s t ,   t h e  warmer  water much f u r t h e r   e a s t ,   a n d   t h e  
' nar row  zone   o f   co ld   wa te r   t r apped   a long   t he   coas t   j u s t   sou th   o f   t he   mou th  of 
the  Chesapeake  Bay. O f  i n t e r e s t   T n   t h e s e   i m a g e s  i s  the   sma l l   zone   o f   co ld  
w a t e r   d e v e l o p i n g   o f f   t h e   c o a s t   d u e   e a s t   o f   t h e   O r e g o n   I n l e t .   T h i s   f e a t u r e  i s  
ev ident   on   the   0835 GMT and  the  1305 GMT images ,   bu t  i s  n o t  e v i d e n t  a t  0047 
GMT o r  at 2000 GMT. I t  i s  b e l i e v e d   t h a t   h i s  i s  co ld   wa te r   ou t f low  th rough  
t h e   O r e g o n   I n l e t .  We h a v e   n o t   c h e c k e d   t h e   t i d a l   t a b l e s   a s   y e t   o   d e t e r m i n e  
w h e t h e r   t h i s   o u t f l o w  was produced  by  the  t ides .   The  images do i n d i c a t e   t h a t  
t h e   w a t e r s   i n   t h e   P a m l i c o  Sound were c o l d   r e l a t i v e   t o   t h e   w a t e r s   i m m e d i a t e l y  
o f f  t h e  c o a s t .  T h i s  s u g g e s t s  t h a t  t h e  w a t e r  i n  t h e  C h e s a p e a k e  Bay may be   co ld  
and   t ha t   t he   co ld   wa te r   t r apped   f rom  the   Chesapeake  Bay mouth  southward  along 
t h e   s h o r e l i n e  may be   the   ou t f low  f rom  the   Chesapeake   Bay .  The o t h e r   a l t e r -  
n a t i v e   x p l a n a t i o n  i s  u p w e l l i n g   a l o n g   t h e   c o a s t .  We h o p e   t h a t   a n a l y s i s  of 
d i g i t a l   s a t e l l i t e   d a t a  combined  with i n   s i t u   d a t a   c o l l e c t e d   u r i n g   S u p e r -  
flux I11 will c l a r i f y  t h i s  p o i n t .  
95 
Table 1. Hard-copy of TIROS-N  and N O M - 6  satellite  imagery  collected. 
Satellite:  TIROS-N 
~- - . . - . . 
DATE ORBIT - TIME (GMT) 
10/08/80 
10/12/80 
10/13/80 
10/13/80 
10/14/80 
10/14/80 
10/15/80 
10/15/80 
10/16/80 
10/16/80 
10/17/80 
Sate1 1 i t e :  NOAA-6 
" 
10240 
10304 
10311 
10318 
10325 
10332 
10339 
10346 
10353 
10360 
10367 
~" ~ ~~~ 
08: 26 
20: 47 
09: 10 
20:  36 
08:  58 
20: 25 
08:  47 
20: 12 
08: 35 
20: 00 
08:  25 
..... -- . - - " 
0 AT E ORBIT TIME (GMT) 
10/08/80 
10/10/80 
10/11/80 
10/13/80 
10/16/80 
10/16/80 
10/17/80 
10/17/80 
10/20/80 
10/21/80 
10/21/80 
10/22/80 
10/22/80 
10/22/80 
6666 
6695 
6709 
6744 
6773 
6780 
6787 
6794 
6837 
6844 
6851 
6858 
6865 
6872 
12: 42 
13:  40 
13: 17 
23 : 50 
00 : 47 
13: 05 
00: 25 
12: 42 
13:  17 
00: 37 
12: 53 
00: 14 
12:  31 
23: 52 
96 
Table 2. Hard  copy o f  GOES s a t e l l i t e  imagery  collected. 
" - ~~. . -  
-~ DATE 
10/07/80 
10/07/80 
10/08/80 
10/08/80 
10/11/80 
10/12/80 
10/13/80 
10/14/80 
10/14/80 
10/15/80 
10/15/80 
10/15/80 
10/17/80 
10/19/80 
10/20/80 
10/20/80 
10/20/80 
10/21/80 
10/21/80 
i0/22/80 
10/22/80 
10/22/80 
TIME (GMT) DESCRIPTION 
17: 00 1 
21: 00 1 
14: 00 1 
17: 00 1 
18: 30 2 
18: 30 2 
18: 30 2 
18: 30 2 
19: 00 3 
14: 00 3 
18: 00 3 
18: 30 2 
18: 30 2 
18: 30 2 
13: 00 3 
18: 00 2 
20: 00 3 
18: 00 3 
18: 30 2 
01: 30 4 
18: 00 3 
18: 30 2 
1- Enhanced 3.2-km reso lu t ion  sec tor  centered  a t  26' N, 900 W 
2- Enhanced 1.6-km reso lu t ion  sec tor  centered  a t  37O N, 75OW 
3- Enhanced 1.6-km r e so lu t ion  DA1 sec to r  
4- Standard 3.2-km reso lu t ion  DB5 
Table 3. Ocean c o l o r  data from NIMBUS 7 CZCS. 
ORBIT TIME  OVER 
DATE "_ NO. AREA (EST) . . - - - . CROSSING 
- . -~ _ _  
EQUATOR 
10/  15 9948 1140 77OW 
10/16 9998 1159  81OW 
10/ 17 PASS NOT GOOD 
10/  18 PASS NOT  GOOD 
10/ 19 10039 1111 7 1 O W  
10/20  10053  1130  75OW 
10/21  10067  1149 8OoW 
10/22  PASS NOT  GOOD 
10/23  PASS NOT GOOD 
10/24  10108  1120 72OW 
" 
98 
Table 4 .  S a t e l l i t e   i n f r a r e d   d a t a   a v a i l a b l e   f o r  
SUPERFLUX I and I1 from NOAA-6 and TIROS-N 
SUPERFLUX I SUPERFLUX 11 
(16 - 20  March 1980)  (18  -28  June  1980) 
12 March  1980 11 June  1980 
14 March  1980  12 June 1980 
15 March 1980 13  June 1980 
18 March  1980 16 June  1980 
17 June  1980 
20 June  1980 
27 June  1980 
1 J u l y  1980 
F i g u r e  1. NOM-6 i n f r a r e d   i m a g e   f o r  8 October 1980,   12:42 GMT. 
1 00 
Figure 2. TIROS-N infrared image for 14 October 1980, 2025 GMT. 
1 01 
F i g u r e  3 .  TIROS-N i n f r a r e d   i m a g e   f o r  15 October   1980,  0847 GMT. 
1 02 
Figure 4 .  TIROS-N infrared image for  16 October 1980, 2000 GMT. 
F i g u r e  5 .  NOAA-6 i n f r a r e d  image f o r  1 7  October  1980, 1242 GMT. 
1 04 
Figure 6. NOAA-6 infrared image for 21 October 1980, 1253 GMT. 
1 05 
Figure 7 .  NOM-6 i n f r a r e d  image f o r  22 October 1980, 2352 GMT. 
1 06 
Figure 8.  NOM-6 infrared image for 16 October 1980, 0047 GMT. 
1 07 
Figure 9 .  TIROS-N infrared image f o r  16 October 1980, 0835 GMT. 
108  
Figure 10. NOAA-6 infrared image for 16 October 1980, 1305 GMT. 
1 09 


Monitoring the Chesapeake Bay using satellite data for Superflux III

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