Geometric correction and radiometric normalisation of NOAA AVHRR data for fisheries applications

Sea surface temperature (SST) has been found useful for locating potential fishing grounds (PFGs). Thermal data of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) was acquired using a microcomputer (PC/AT 486) based Direct Reception and Processing Terminal (DRPT) developed in-house to map surface thermal fronts. Geometric correction using orbital ephemeris and ground control points (GCPs) resulted in locational accuracy of 1·73 km by 2·1 km. Besides, the corrections for artificially lowering SST in case of passes with large satellite zenith angles (LSZA) through a radiance normalization based on the mean vectors and dispersion matrices to make it comparable with small satellite zenith angle (SSZA) pass is presented in this letter.