The use of remote sensing techniques to study the surface structure of coastal currents

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been using airborne remote sensing techniques to study the surface details of strong nearshore currents in the Great Lakes for the last five years. Aerial photogrammetry and infrared thermal line scanning are the principal tools, although both common radiation thermometers and satellite thermal imagery are also used. "Ground truth" measurements of surface temperature, currents, and water level fluctuations are usually made. The method could equally well be used to study strong coastal currents in the ocean.