Sun-Glitter Photographs of Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine from the SpaceShuttle

摘要

We discuss ocean phenomena revealed in the sun glitter in shuttle photographs ofthe Georges Bank area. The photographs indicate several physical phenomena worthy of additional study. One example is evidence for an active exchange between the waters of Georges Bank and the Atlantic slope waters to the south, a process that is well known. The photos also show, with startling clarity, internal tidal packets that are generated along the northern side of the bank and then propagate into the Gulf of Maine. Existing evidence indicates the presence of tidally-generated internal waves in the gulf, but the shuttle photographs reveal their significance in a detail not previously available. The shuttle photographs illustrate the potential usefulness of visual imagery from low-orbit spacecraft. Keywords: Space-based color photography; Infrared photography; Reprints. (edc)