Monitoring our Waters
The ocean and large inland lakes play an integral role in many of the Earth's systems, including climate and weather. There are five named ocean basins: Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern, and there is over 95,000 miles of shoreline in the United States alone.
To monitor it all, NOAA satellites are gathering data that can, among other things, monitor gases, temperature, and the biological components of the oceans. Different satellites carry different instruments and measure different parameters. Two widely recognized parameters are sea surface temperatures and winds over ocean waters. Different branches of NESDIS work with the Ocean Service to conduct research using satellite and in-situ observations to infer various oceanic, coastal, climatic, and marine weather processes.
How to Monitor
More Articles on Oceans and Coasts
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NOAA's polar-orbiting satellites are monitoring higher than average sea surface temperatures…
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NOAA began monitoring sea level more than 20 years ago, with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite in 1992.…
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A year has passed since the Jason-3 satellite rocketed into space. NOAA's Laboratory of…