Temporal variability of remotely sensed suspended sediment and sea surface temperature patterns in Mobile Bay, Alabama

Distribution patterns of suspended sediments and sea surface temperatures in, Mobile Bay were derived from algorithms using digital data from the visible, near infrared, and infrared channels of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on the NOAA-TIROS-N satellite. Closely spaced AVHRR scenes for January 20, 24, and 29, 1982, were compared with available environmental information taken during the same period. A complex interaction between river discharge, winds, and astronomical tides controlled the distribution patterns of suspended sediments. These same variables, coupled with air temperatures, also governed the distribution patterns of sea surface temperatures.