Satellite Imagery
Imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard NASA's Aqua Earth Observing System satellite (Aqua EOS) can be obtained from NASA's OceanColorWeb. We use this data to produce images of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration as well as other parameters for the Scotian Shelf. Due to the prevalence of cloud cover in our region, we can expect to obtain no more than one or two good images each week, depending upon season. On this page you will find the latest available imagery.
Satellite Image Interpolations
Sea surface temperature (degrees C) is derived from a measure of sea-surface infrared radiance (11 micrometers). Images of SST, when uncontaminated by cloud cover, can show evidence of dynamic process occurring on the Scotian Shelf, such as coastal upwelling events, as well as features such as temperature fronts between different water masses. SST values occur at a resolution of about 1 km at nadir.
In-water chlorophyll-a concentration (mg m-3), a proxy for planktonic biomass, is calculated using the blue-to-green ratio of the normalized water-leaving radiance (mW cm-2 um-1 sr-1), which is measured by the MODIS instrument at 6 color-bands (412, 443, 488, 531, 551 and 667 nanometers). Values for chlorophyll-a concentration are obtained using the OC3M color-band ratio algorithm. Values occur at a resolution of about 1 km at nadir.