Conclusions 



Each system has its own 

 application, capabilities and 

 limitatbns. Satellite imagery is 

 able to cover very large areas with 

 a reasonable amount of detail. It 

 is limited by cbud cover and 

 offers limited navigational 

 accuracy. SLAR, on the other 

 hand, offers a very detailed look 

 at an area, even through cloud 

 cover, with good positioning. It 

 can only cover small areas 

 compared to a satellite and is 

 limited by the operational 

 constraints of IIP, with 

 oceanographic applications of 

 secondary importance to iceberg 

 reconnaissance. 



Although the mechanism 

 involved in SLAR detection of 

 temperature differences is not yet 

 clear, both systems are able to 

 detect the temperature gradients 

 across the same fronts. 



For the immediate future, SLAR 

 will play an important role in IIP 

 operations, locating frontal 

 features for hydrographic 

 research and for planning TOD 

 deployments. Future research 

 with SLAR should be directed 

 toward providing real-time 

 quantitative input forthe IIP 

 iceberg drift model. Another 

 possible application of this 

 technology is real-time mapping 

 of current systems for other Coast 

 Guard missions such as search 

 and rescue and pollution 

 response. 



Acknowledgements* 



We wish to thank Jennifer 

 Clark and her staff at NESDISfor 

 providing satellite images and 

 NESDIS worksheets. 



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