parameters for which the Navy has identified re- 
quirements. However, it is clear these data can 
be used to enhance the detail and timeliness of 
the oceanographic information currently used by 
the Navy and to supplement the meteorological 
data currently being received and used for fleet 
support. In this regard, the location of ocean 
features, such as fronts, eddies, and warm- and 
cold-core rings, is of prime interest. Their posi- 
tion and distribution is needed on a global basis in 
near real time. 
Sea-surface temperature measurements from 
the AVHRR sensor are currently being used by 
the Navy for frontal detection and as inputs into 
numerical models; SeaWiFS data will be an addi- 
tional source of information for these applica- 
tions. As described later in this section, in many 
instances ocean-color imagery has given a bet- 
ter indication of circulation patterns than the sea- 
surface temperature measurements acquired by 
the AVHRR. 
Other naval interests include the spatial and 
temporal distribution of atmospheric aerosols, 
water optical properties, water mass identifica- 
tion, prediction of bioluminescence, coastal char- 
acteristics and processes, and chlorophyll pig- 
ment concentrations. Naval ship and operational 
centers will need near-real-time coverage of 
these quantities once the Navy's research pro- 
grams have demonstrated their utility. 
There is also an interest on the part of the 
Navy in assessing the variability of these parame- 
ters in the oceans in the form of a digital atlas. 
The data now in the digital atlas are based on 
data acquired by the CZCS. Hence, when the 
SeaWiFS sensor becomes operational, these data 
will enable this investigation to be completed. 
Commercial Applications 
Fishing Industry 
As indicated above, sea-surface temperature 
and ocean-color data have been successfully 
utilized in increasing the efficiency of the fishing 
industry, and commercial fishermen on the U.S. 
West Coast are currently paying for satellite- 
acquired data products. The potential commer- 
es COMMERCIAL AND OPERATIONAL USERS' PANEL 
cial value of SeaWiFS to the fishing industry has 
been demonstrated with respect to the anchovy 
fishing fleet. Anchovy fishing occupies a sizeable 
portion of the West Coast fleet, and approximately 
25 million pounds of anchovy are caught each 
year off the coast of Southern California. 
The northern extent of anchovy spawning 
areas in the California bight and the offshore ex- 
tent of spawning north of Santa Catalina Island 
are limited by cold, upwelling waters flowing from 
the north. These cold-water boundaries are eas- 
ily identified in thermal-infrared CZCS imagery. 
The southern limit of anchovy spawning can be 
defined using ocean-color measurements, since 
there is a direct correlation between chlorophyll 
concentration and spawning activity. Figure 1 
demonstrates this correlation. In this figure, 
warm colors (yellow, orange, and red) depict high 
chlorophyll concentrations, and cool colors 
(green, aqua, and blue) depict lower concentra- 
tions of chlorophyll. The numbers overlaid on the 
image represent the number of anchovy eggs 
collected over a 20-day experimental survey. 
Another example of the use of ocean-color im- 
agery by the fishing industry can be drawn from 
the experience of shrimp fisheries in the Gulf of 
Mexico. As indicated in Figure 2, shrimp cannot 
live in areas where the concentration of oxygen 
in the bottom waters is low. Oxygen depletion 
often occurs when huge numbers of microscopic 
plants and other living matter die and sink to the 
bottom where decomposition takes place, deplet- 
ing the water of most or all of the oxygen. The 
amount of chlorophyll in the water is related to 
the biomass of the microscopic organisms and, 
hence, is an indicator of potential locations of 
oxygen-deficient waters. 
Figure 3 is an image from the CZCS showing 
the chlorophyll pigment concentration in the wa- 
ter off the Gulf Coast. The warm colors in this im- 
age (yellow, orange, and red) represent areas of 
high chlorophyll pigment concentration, and the 
cool colors (green, aqua, and blue) represent 
areas of lower chlorophyll concentration. Figure 
4 shows a prediction of potential areas of 
oxygen-deficient waters, derived by combining 
the pigment-concentration data of Figure 3 with 
sea-surface temperature measurements. 
7 
