Althoughthisisacompanion volume tomypreviousbook Measuring the Oceans from Space, published in 2004, it approaches the subject from a di?erent angle by providing abroad-ranging introductionandreviewoftheapplicationsofsatelliteremotesensing across the ?eld of oceanography. During the ?ve years it has taken to prepare this book what has motivated me is the attraction of the subject itself. In searching the scienti?c literature I have been excited by the interesting, new, and important elements of satellite oceanography being discovered around the world. I hope this book will help others to discover for themselves how sensors in space are giving us a new perspective of oceanographic phenomena and are increasingly enabling ocean science to serve the needs of modern civilization. Primarily I have written with postgraduate and senior undergraduate students in mind. Readers of my previous book will know that it aimed to present a systematic explanation of the diverse methods of satellite oceanography, the breadth of scienti?c knowledge, and the richness of innovative technology developed over 30 years since the ?rst dedicated ocean satellite was ?own in 1978. But satellite oceanography is too important a subject to treat just as a specialist topic for those with an interest in observational instrumentation and data-processing techniques. In recent years the availability of high-quality, processed satellite data has delivered remarkable and inspiring images of the ocean, which can almost tell their own stories.
The remote sensing of oceans from space has developed rapidly since 1978 when the first dedicated ocean viewing sensors were launched. In 1991 the first European Space Agency remote sensing satellite carried sensors primarily for the ocean, heralding the widespread use of satellite date by oceanographes. In the mid 1990's the US/French TOPEX-Poseidon mission revolutionised the performance of satellite altimetry and since 1997 NASA's SeaWiFs mission has delivered operational measurements of ocean colour. The new millennium has seen the launch of several very large remote sensing platforms ans a number of smaller missions by ESA, NASA and NASDA, providing almost comprehensive worldwide measurements of sea surface waves and wind, temperature, colour, currents and other ocean properties. The increasing availability of so much satellite data has undoubtedly changed the way the science of oceanography has developed. The unique perspective provided by satellites has revealed previously undetected ocean phenomena, cast new light on old problems and opened the way for new fields of oceanographic study.
