SeaWiFS

Orb-View-2
Type:	Earth observation satellite
Country:	United States
Operator:	Orbimage (GeoEye)
COSPAR-ID :	1997-037A
Mission dates
Dimensions:	309 kg
Begin:	August 1, 1997
Starting place:	Vandenberg Air Force Base
Launcher:	Pegasus XL (L-1011)
Flight duration:	13 years
Status:	Lost in 2011
Orbit data

SeaWiFS (abbreviation for Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor ) was the only scientific instrument on board the GeoEye satellite Orbview-2 (also known as SeaStar ), a private satellite in the Orbview program. SeaWiFS was the follow-up experiment to the Coastal Zone Color Scanner on board Nimbus 7 . The instrument was put into orbit on August 1, 1997 with a Pegasus rocket and began scientific operations on September 18 of the same year. The SeaWiFS project was part of the NASA program Earth Observing System . The satellite was lost in mid-2011.

The task of the instrument was to collect large amounts of data on the bio-optical properties of the oceans . Barely visible differences in the color of the oceans indicate different types and concentrations of phytoplankton .

The Lake Baikal , taken by SeaWiFS

The lower false color image from SeaWiFS shows the chlorophyll content of the near-surface seawater off the California coast.

The sensor recorded image data in the following wavelengths:

tape	wavelength
1	402-422 nm
2	433-453 nm
3	480-500 nm
4th	500-520 nm
5	545-565 nm
6th	660-680 nm
7th	745-785 nm
8th	845-885 nm

Web links

• Website of the SeaWiFS Project (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ScienceDaily: SeaWiFS '13 Years of Observing Our Home Planet , April 4, 2011, accessed June 4, 2011