Discovering the Ocean from Space

Althoughthisisacompanion volume tomypreviousbook Measuring the Oceans from Space, published in 2004, it approaches the subject from a di? erent angle by providing abroad-ranging introductionandreviewoftheapplicationsofsatelliteremotesensing across the ? eld of oceanography. During the ? ve years it has taken to prepare this book what has motivated me is the attraction of the subject itself. In searching the scienti? c literature I have been excited by the interesting, new, and important elements of satellite oceanography being discovered around the world. I hope this book will help others to discover for themselves how sensors in space are giving us a new perspective of oceanographic phenomena and are increasingly enabling ocean science to serve the needs of modern civilization. Primarily I have written with postgraduate and senior undergraduate students in mind. Readers of my previous book will know that it aimed to present a systematic explanation of the diverse methods of satellite oceanography, the breadth of scienti? c knowledge, and the richness of innovative technology developed over 30 years since the ? rst dedicated ocean satellite was ? own in 1978. But satellite oceanography is too important a subject to treat just as a specialist topic for those with an interest in observational instrumentation and data-processing techniques. In recent years the availability of high-quality, processed satellite data has delivered remarkable and inspiring images of the ocean, which can almost tell their own stories.