S-MODE MASS: Airborne Longwave Infrared Imagery of Ocean Dynamics

S-MODE MASS Level 1 LWIR Version 1 contains calibrated, georeferenced longwave infrared imagery from a pilot campaign of the Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment. The data was collected over two weeks in October 2021 approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco using a FLIR SC6700 camera mounted on a DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. Images are provided as Level 1 TIFF files, georeferenced to WGS84 with UTM zone 10 projection.

Use Cases

• Analyzing sub-mesoscale ocean front dynamics based on longwave infrared sea surface temperature signatures.
• Validating satellite-derived sea surface temperature products using high-resolution airborne imagery.
• Studying vertical exchange processes in the ocean by correlating thermal patterns with in-situ measurements.
• Developing image georectification and calibration techniques for nadir-mounted airborne sensors.

Strengths

• Data is precisely georeferenced and calibrated for lens distortion, vignetting, and boresight misalignment.
• Imagery was collected at a high frequency (50Hz) synchronized with a GPS/IMU system for accurate positioning.
• The dataset is part of a coordinated NASA experiment (S-MODE) focused on specific ocean dynamics.

Limitations

• Dataset is currently undergoing maintenance and repackaging, indicating potential instability in file access and count.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific license details are unavailable or conflicting across sources.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a two-week pilot campaign in October 2021.

Provenance

Source

Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE), likely affiliated with NASA/POCLOUD.

Collection Method

Airborne data collection using the Modular Aerial Sensing System (MASS) on a DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.

Time Range

October 2021 (two-week campaign).

Freshness

Last updated metadata indicates maintenance as of 2026-04-09, but an earlier source lists 2023-05 30.

Geography

Approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco, California, USA.