Comparison of coastal sea surface temperature derived from ship-, air-, and space-borne thermal infrared systems

The coastal sea surface temperature (SST) is one of the important oceanic environmental factors in determining the change of marine environments and ecological activities. In order to extract coastal SST, we developed ship- and airborne thermal infrared remote sensing systems. The acquired thermal infrared images are radiometrically calibrated using an atmospheric radiative transfer model as well as a thermometer/hygrometer sensor and geometrically calibrated using a GPS/IMU sensor. In this study, the ship- and airborne SST data were compared and verified with spaceborne SST data and in-situ data. The comparison and validation results showed that the ship and air-borne thermal infrared remote sensing could be used in generating SST map, especially in mapping fine-scale coastal features.