Detection of stable synoptical features of sea surface from a series of infrared satellite images

Abstract

Maps of the dominant orientation of thermal contrasts (statistically significant tangents to isotherms) on infrared images obtained from NOAA satellites are capable of representing the sea circulation structure in difficult cloudy conditions and, thus, can be used for quantitative analysis of synoptical-scale processes on the sea surface. For this purpose, one should plot compositional maps and estimate the lifetime of the dominant orientations. An approach to plotting such maps is described, the lifetime of the dominants is estimated, and the applicability conditions of the proposed method are investigated. The dominants stable for a week are obtained and their correlation with synoptical-scale objects is revealed. It is demonstrated that such objects can be detected using maps of the dominant orientations of thermal contrasts.