Mesoscale oceanic and atmospheric feature detection through fusion of RADARSAT SAR with GOES/Imager data

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the Canadian RADARSAT satellite, along with infrared and visible data from operational weather satellites, is being collected over the ocean off the U.S. East, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Alaska, and Bering Sea coasts. Mesoscale features observed in the SAR data are identified using coincident Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite (GOES) data to decide whether the signature is atmospheric or oceanic in origin. Combining the two data sources allows information in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) to be observed. This technique of feature detection using multiple data sets is referred to as data fusion. This paper focuses on a single storm event that is imaged by RADARSAT SAR in the Bering Sea on February 5, 1998 at 06:00 UTM. From the fusion of SAR and GOES data, frontal boundaries can be deciphered.