NOAA CoastWatch SAR Applications and Demonstration

he goal of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) CoastWatch Program is to provide satellite and other environmental data and products for near-real-time monitoring of U.S. coastal waters in support ofenvironmental science, management, and hazard response. During the last few years, products available through CoastWatch have expanded beyond the original infrared, visible, and sea surface temperature images to include ocean color, scatterometer wind, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. A NOAA research and development program with partners in government, academia, and industry has endeavored to develop coastal ocean SAR applications for CoastWatch. Some of these applications, in particular wind measurement and hard target (i.e., vessel) detection, were developed for a preoperational demonstration. Users include the NOAA National Weather Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the U.S. Coast Guard.