Oceans

The ocean is a key component of the Earth system that is studied using remote sensing in a variety of applications ranging from research to geohazard monitoring. In this chapter, the physics of the measurements and some applications of the different remote sensing sensors useful for ocean studies and monitoring are presented. Herein, the sea surface height from 1D altimeters and a new 2D microwave sensor, sea surface temperature from infrared and microwave sensors, sea surface salinity from microwave sensors, ocean-atmosphere winds from scatterometers, and ocean color from visible sensors are discussed with respect to their spatial-temporal resolutions, limitations, and applications. Multisensor analyses are powerful tools for geohazards. Applications linked to the ocean include climate change and water cycle monitoring; storms and tropical cyclones; sea level rise; coastal flooding due to combined storm surge, tides, and wind; toxic algae blooms; and marine pollution.