Marine Resources and the need for Operational Oceanography

摘要

Many maritime practices follow from an assumption mat the physical state of the ocean is essentially unknowable and unpredictable. In recent years, however, remote sensing has challenged this conservative assumption, with 'early adopters' among the marine sector depending more and more on satellite data for planning their operations. Radar altimeters (Jason-1, Jason-2 and Envisat) provide estimates of sea level, from which surface currents and sub-surface thermal structure can be inferred. Radiometers (AVHRR, MODES) map the surface temperature and other properties of the ocean. Analysis of these data and assimilation into hydrodynamic models in near-real-time is the basis of an ocean forecasting system which promises to be as integral to marine operations as weather forecasting is to terrestrial operations. The need for, and potential usefulness of, such a system is demonstrated by a brief discussion of the extreme ocean current speeds that occurred off Sydney in the months before the conference.