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Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1) image of barrier islands 

 separating Mississippi Sound from Gulf of Mexico. The shaded areas 

 surrounding the islands are turbidity patterns comprised of suspended 

 sediment. 



The NASA Nimbus-5 experimental meteorological satellite 

 launched in December 1972 carries a scanning passive microwave 

 radiometer that is providing sea-surface temperature and sea-ice 

 data through cloud cover. This sensor is detecting strong thermal 

 gradient boundaries associated with major ocean currents in the 

 Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Until its premature malfunction, the 

 surface-composition mapping radiometer on Nimbus-5 obtained 

 very high quality thermal images depicting the distribution of water 

 masses with spatial resolutions of the order of 600 feet. 



Future Programs 



Future programs will stress research and development of in-situ 

 and remote sensors to achieve greater reliability of performance and 

 more accurate measurements of marine environmental parameters, 

 processes, and phenomena. Attention will be given to ruggedness, 

 sensor calibration, and sensor long-term stability. Continued use 

 will be made of buoy, aircraft, and satellite instrument platforms in 

 testing and evaluating sensor performance. Consideration will also 

 be given to methods and procedures for handling the processing and 

 reduction of data collected by the instrumented platforms. 



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