1. Google Earth: Satellite & Glider Data
Dave Kaminsky, Chris Filosa, Jason Werrell
Being that Google Earth has become a primary visual data compilation source for the Rutgers Glider Fleet, our team’s mission has three main goals. Our primary goal is to make data downloading, reading, and understanding easy for the general public. Our secondary goal is to organize and keep data up-to-date for the glider and science teams. Our tertiary goal is to work to unlock and advance the capabilities of Google Earth for data manipulation, visualization, and application.
Jersey Roots, Global Reach.
Here at Rutgers University, we are always looking for ways to extend our work and research performed at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences to all “corners” of the world. That is exactly what we did with our TransAtlantic mission with RU27. Our own satellite imagery reaches about half way across the Atlantic. When the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) discovered this, we teamed up with their oceanographic team; they sent us 5 different data imagery forms for off the coast of Spain and Africa for use in piloting decisions for RU27, and we assimilated the data into Google Earth here at Rutgers. Here are four of the data types we used:
Rutgers’ view from space.
The Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences has its own satellite data system with several satellites orbiting Earth, 2 satellite dishes on the roof of the Marine and Coastal Sciences building, and the heart of the system in the COOLroom (Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory). In addition to our own satellite data imagery, we use some outside sources as well. Some of the Rutgers/IMCS active glider fleet data is even incorporated into some of these data sources.
Rutgers/IMCS Sea Surface Temperature [SST]
Rutgers/IMCS satellite system is capable of producing real-time, averaged, and enhanced sea surface temperature data imagery for many parts of the Atlantic Ocean – ranging from the coast of New Jersey to practically the whole Atlantic, spanning from the coasts of the Americas to the coasts of Europe and Africa.
Chlorophyll-A [CHL-A]
Algae and plankton are “drifters”, just like gliders. Their movements and patterns are very much subjected to oceanic currents. Although gliders can indeed create and maintain directional movement at an average of 28 cm/s, any oceanic current will have an affect on their flight pattern; stronger currents moreso than weaker ones. Therefore, analyzing the movements and patterns of algae and plankton is one of the best data imagery sources we can use to predict the effects of currents on our active gliders as well as determine useful and harmful currents for a particular glider and its mission. Cyanobacteria, Green Algae, and Red Algae all contain Chlorophyll-A, making it the best chlorophyll type to analyze.
Sea Surface Height [SSH]
The ocean is like a dense forest of whirlpools. These whirlpools occur in two forms: (1) Cyclonic Eddies: counterclockwise rotation, cold core, depressed center, and (2) Anticyclonic Eddies: clockwise rotation, warm core, bulged center. Since the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddy cores are depressed and bulged in the center, respectively, we can measure the sea surface height from satellites to determine the location and cyclic direction of these eddies. Eddies tend to be powerful forces for gliders to combat against, so this imagery is vital to keep the less-powerful gliders using eddies as advantageous currents rather than getting stuck in a dizzying circle.
CCAR Altimetry
CCAR (Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research) Altimetry – the measure of sea surface height – allows us to see eddies, and therefore cyclic currents.
HYCOM Ocean Prediction
HYCOM (Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model) is an ocean prediction forecast produced by the Navy. All of the other data sources we use are real-time data, showing what the ocean is actually doing at a given moment. This HYCOM, however, predicts what the ocean is most likely to do in the future. These prediction models are generated by real-time and averaged data, including real-time CTD data collected by our active glider fleet – specifically RU27.
Sea Surface Currents
While other data types can imply the motion of oceanic currents via measurement or detection of either a variable of physical, biological, or chemical oceanography, the sea surface current data imagery measures just that; sea surface currents (shown by vectors). While the area covered by this satellite is huge, local and regional currents tend to show variations as compared to other data types since it is a vector-based data type. This is useful for confirmation of other data types and for local variation.
Sea Surface Temperature [SST]
Since the ocean temperature tends to be stratified both vertically and longitudinally, sea surface temperature is another useful data form for piloting gliders. Oceanic currents and regional/global thermohaline circulation tend to draw warmer and/or colder water from places of origin along the paths of the currents, SST is very useful to find and track the movements of oceanic currents. SST is also a great resource to compare other data types to for confirmation of accuracy.
Google Earth Breakthrough:
As part of our tertiary mission, we are working to unlock the capabilities of inputting vertical axis data into Google Earth – something never done before. This will allow us to plot vertical glider flight paths and profiles into Google Earth. This project still in the Research & Development Phase.