Gulf Stream and Middle Atlantic Bight: Complex Thermal Structure as Seen from an Environmental Satellite

Abstract

High-resolution infrared imagery from the ITOS 1 satellite demonstrates the utility of synoptic sea-surface temperature information. The northern edge of the Gulf Stream, the slope waters, and the shelf waters display complex thermal characteristics with distinct temperature gradients separating these three water masses. This type of information can be very useful for increasing our understanding of many physical phenomena that occur over Earth's oceans.