Combining multi-source data to investigate vessel wake temperature gradients and dynamic patterns

Abstract

The movement of a vessel generates cold and warm wake patterns with temperature gradients on the sea surface, which provide detection possibilities for satellite-based infrared detection systems. This work analyzes the temporal characteristics of ship wake dissipation on the sea surface, based on multi-source data from low Earth orbit satellite thermal infrared imaging, Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, and numerical simulation results, revealing the dynamic information contained within the thermal wake. The temperature images of sea surface thermal wakes generated by vessels at different speeds were obtained using numerical simulation methods. The thermal infrared characteristics of the surface vessel wakes were verified using images from the thermal imaging spectrometer aboard the SDGSAT-1 satellite. The simulation results reveal the patterns of generation, diffusion, and attenuation of the infrared thermal wake produced by moving vessels in the ocean. By combining simulations with infrared images from the SDGSAT-1 satellite, the thermal infrared temperature characteristics of wakes on the sea surface are summarized. This method overcomes the limitations of traditional optical monitoring techniques at night, while capturing more information on sea surface temperature variations. By deeply exploring sea surface thermal signature data, this paper provides technical support for all-weather vessel speed inversion using single-satellite data.