COLLOQUIUM
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
University of South Carolina
 
Satellite Oceanography and Ocean Models

Subrahmanyam Bulusu

Satellite Oceanography Laboratory
Marine Science Program and Department of Geological Sciences
University of South Carolina

Date: November 18, 2005
Time: 4-5 PM
Place: Swearingen 1A03 (Faculty Lounge)

Abstract

Space science and its associated technology have made it relatively
easy to place satellites in earth orbit from which to observe our
planet. The vantage point of Space is now widely used by ocean
scientists with the result that there have been significant
enhancements to marine science and its application in operational
oceanography. This presentation provides a brief review of the unique
capabilities of ocean-viewing space sensors with examples of ocean
phenomena whose complex behavior has been revealed and understood only
because of the availability of satellite observations. Observations of
the sea surface using satellites now provide scientists with
information about the oceans' impact on our environment, climate
change and weather forecasting. Satellite sensors observe the sea's
surface, measuring many properties that include temperature, color and
changes in height. These data reveal information about circulation,
storms and the biology of the oceans. For instance a recent success
story for satellite oceanography has been the detection of waves
thousands of kilometers long, invisible to the naked eye but which
have powerful effects on circulation and climate.  The talk concludes
with a consideration of the growing possibility that satellite data
will enable us to model and forecast the ocean in an operational
sense, with consequent benefits for all users of the seas.

Subrahmanyam Bulusu is an Assistant Professor in Marine Science
Program of the Department of Geology at the University of South
Carolina.  Dr. Bulusu obtained his Ph.D. at the University of
Southampton, United Kingdom, in 1998.  His major research area is
Satellite Oceanography.  Specific research work includes: satellite
oceanography at the regional and global scale, satellite altimetry
using TOPEX/POSEIDON and JASON-1, remote sensing of ocean color
(sensors like SeaWiFS and Ocean Color Monitor), satellite-based
studies of interactions between physics and biology at the mesoscale,
and circulation in the Indian Ocean using satellite observations and
model simulations.