Application of Geostationary Ocean Color Imager Data to the extraction of ocean fronts

Abstract

We attempted for the first time to extract fronts from ocean colour data acquired at a geostationary orbit derived from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), the world's first geostationary ocean colour satellite sensor. We extracted fronts from hourly observed GOCI images and then attempted to investigate subtle changes in ocean condition. Suspended sediment (SS)-derived fronts were used to analyse tidal movements in a coastal region having semi-diurnal tides and highly turbid water. We were able to trace fast movements of tidal flows and discovered that the SS-derived ocean fronts are quite relevant to the submarine topography along shallow coasts. In relatively clear waters using chlorophyll concentration (chl)-derived fronts, we were able to discover dynamic variations on sea areas where two independent water masses mixed. We also found that GOCI-derived fronts can provide more detailed information than can SST-derived fronts. We expect that such results can be utilized to search for productive fisheries.