Remote Sensing Applications to Environmental Monitoring of the Coastal Zone

The rapid development of satellite oceanography since the launch of satellites designed to carry marine observation radiometers has provided a valuable tool to study the oceans and its processes in a new light. Sensors operating in the visible, infrared or microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum represent the only means of providing synoptic observations of four basic sea surface properties i.e. 1) colour, 2) temperature, 3) height and 4) roughness (Allan 1991). The interpretation of these four basic properties has formed the basis for the determination of phytoplankton, turbidity, algal blooms, sea surface temperature, ocean fronts, geostrophic currents, wind stress and wave fields of the oceans.