Coastal Zone Observations from Geostationary Orbit

摘要

Observations of coastal waters require high spectral and radiometric resolution, as compared to land, and high spatial resolution, as compared to the open ocean. An imaging instrument in geostationary orbit with a nominal aperture diameter of one meter in the spectral region from 400-1000 nm could meet these requirements on demand over a large area of the Earth's surface visible from geostationary orbit. Observations made during daylight hours using filter wheel technology and large 2-D silicon focal plane arrays can achieve these objectives at reasonable coverage rates. This instrument can be fabricated with existing technology.