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Office of Research and Applications
Oceanic Research and Applications Division Marine Observing Systems Team The Marine Observing Systems Team (MOST) conducts research in the application of satellite remote sensing to oceanography. A fundamental objective to provide science quality satellite and in situ data sets with traceable uncertainties serves as a basis for the Team's research efforts. The MOST applies remotely sensed data, which span the visible, infrared, and microwave spectral regions, received from instruments on operational and research satellites to infer oceanic thermal distributions; bio-optical properties; surface winds and associated wave structure; precipitation; and currents, fronts, and eddies. Team members also conduct field experiments to assemble comparative data for vicarious calibration and validation of satellite measurements. The Team cooperates with other NOAA line offices and academia, as well as national and international agencies, to develop applications of satellite-derived ocean properties to physical and biological models, models of ocean circulation, and fisheries resources. The Team's staff is comprised of five scientists and three technicians. MOST research efforts are currently focused on the following projects. 
Satellite
Ocean Surface Winds - Ocean surface winds derived from microwave satellite
and aircraft sensors. Presently experimenting with the SeaWinds instrument on
QuikSCAT to improve high wind retrievals.
Ocean
Precipitation - Validation of satellite-derived rainfall and wind speed estimates
over the oceans using underwater acoustic techniques. Presently focused on
demonstrating these techniques for deep ocean applications at a test site in the Tongue of the
Ocean, Bahamas.
Marine Optical
Characterization Experiment - Assemblage of comparative field observations
for the vicarious calibration and validation of ocean color satellite imagery. Present focus
is on the validation of bio-optical products and radiometric calibration of the Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS).
Marine Optical Buoy
System - Development of in situ optical instrumentation, optical buoys,
and bio-optical algorithms for the calibration and validation of ocean color sensor-derived
products. An integral part of the MOCE program.
Sea Surface Temperature
Analysis and Imagery - Satellite derived sea-surface temperature (SST)
applications to ocean circulation. Present focus is on exploiting the temporal capabilitites
of the GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) derived SST data set (i.e.
animated cloud cleared SST time-series).
For more information about scientific research by the Marine Observing Systems Team, contact the Team Leader, Dennis Clark
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