Airborne Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Temperature Using the Ball Experimental Sea Surface Temperature (BESST) Radiometer With A Discussion of the 2013 Marginal Ice Zone Observation Processes EXperiment.

Airborne remote sensing has opened up new possibilities for scientists to study oceanic and atmospheric problems that are relevant to industry, environmental groups, and the scientific community as a whole. Data obtained from these platforms can provide much higher resolution imagery in comparison to satellite observations that allow for more detailed analyses of important regions. Sea surface temperature (SST) data obtained from instruments like the BESST radiometer can be used to provide more insight into issues like natural disasters and oceanographic problems of interest; such as the influence of melting sea ice on SST. During the 2013 Marginal Ice Zone Observation Processes EXperiment (MIZOPEX), BESST was flown on a Scan Eagle UAS in the Alaskan Marginal Ice Zone to acquire SST data. These observations will be discussed, along with possible future uses for the BESST radiometer.