Ultra High-Resolution SST from NASA Ecostress Resolves Fine Structure of Upwelling Zones

To resolve fine scale environmental forces relevant for marine ecosystem function, new satellite derived products are required, especially along the coasts of the world. In this context, the Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) provides sea surface temperature imagery with an unprecedented 70×70m pixel size. To assess its performance, we compared processed ECOSTRESS images on the coastal upwelling systems of Western Iberia, Chile, South Africa and California with quasi-simultaneous (less than 90 minutes apart) NOAA-20 VIIRS images with a pixel size of 750×750 m. ECOSTRESS successfully quantifies sub-pixel scale physical structures like upwelling shadows, fronts and filaments that are not properly resolved with NOAA-20 VIIRS. Moreover, it also provides a much more detailed characterization of thermal gradients across fronts. The novel imagery from ECOSTRESS provides an important complement to the operational suite of products for the study of fine-scale ocean dynamics and, more specifically, for the characterization of frontal areas with enhanced biological activity.