CoastWatch Tools and Data Featured in Undergraduate Courses
Updated: May 26, 2022
| Dr. Sherry Palacios from CSUMB utilizes CoastWatch ERDDAP, Data Portal, and training materials in her oceanography curricula. |
Transportation and Safety
CoastWatch/OceanWatch satellite data that are utilized for marine transportation and safety include sea surface winds, sea surface roughness and sea surface height.
Sea surface winds provide information about transportation and safety hazards such as gales and other storm-related winds. Sea surface winds are also used to improve coastal surf and swell forecasts and for tsunami modeling and prediction.
Sea surface roughness is used by the marine transportation sector to monitor ocean currents, map sea floor topography and detect ships. Sea surface roughness is also used to identify ice type and thickness for ice breaking operations and shipping.
Sea surface height is used to improve tide forecasting and quantify wave height to support transportation efficiency and safety. Sea surface height is also used for global seafloor topography mapping.
Observing the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Volcanic Eruptions
Updated: May 26, 2022
| A look at how the three recent volcanic eruptions in Tonga affected the surrounding ocean, as observed with CoastWatch satellite data. |
Predicting Winter Weather in Michigan
Updated: March 23, 2022
| Forecasters at the Grand Rapids Weather Forecast Office describe how they use CoastWatch data to predict lake effect snow, freezing spray, and more. |
Predicting Lake Ice Drifts in Cleveland
Updated: March 23, 2022
| Meteorologists at the Cleveland Weather Forecast Office tell a story exemplifying how CoastWatch data supports their mission, and how accurate predictions can save lives. |
Monitoring Sea Surface Winds and Sea Ice with Satellite Radar
Updated: September 23, 2021
| Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an active radar satellite instrument that transmits microwave pulses that bounce off the Earth’s surface. The radar signals are then processed into imagery that can be used to derive several geographic and non-geographic features including: wind speeds, oil spills, sea ice and ship detection. |
Ice Breaking Operations and Shipping in the Great Lakes
Updated: March 20, 2019
| In order to understand ice formation and the types of ice in the Great Lakes, the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) and the U.S. Coast Guard use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the NOAA CoastWatch Great Lakes Node to monitor six different types of ice, ice thickness, and ice cover. |