Ecoinformatics Problems of the World Ocean - New Ecoinformatics Tools in Environmental Science: Applications and Decision-making - page 263

Table 4.1 Scheme for the coordination of spatial and temporal scales of the process that should be
taken into consideration under the sea environment modeling
Time
scales

Spatial scales
Micro Meso Macro

Centuries Inter-century variability.

Wavelengths: 1,000 km

Decades Inter-century variability.

Wavelengths: 1,000 km

Years Inter-year variability.

Wavelengths: 1,000 km

Months Synoptical changeability,

oceanic meanders and
whirlwinds. Waves range:
100 km

Fluctuations of the
currents velocity and
direction. Wavelengths:
1,000 km

Days Inertia currents. Waves

range: 100 km

Hours Rising tides. Waves range:

dozens km

Minutes Detail vertical kinematic

structure. Waves range:
m

Interior gravitation waves.
Waves range: km

Seconds Turbulence, vertical

kinematic microstruc-
ture. Waves range: cm
and mm

Fig. 4.1 Principal scheme for coordination of spatial and temporal scales under the choice of a
model to parameterize the environmental processes

approaches. An analysis of measurement data shows that remote sensing of the
water surface by means of devices using various wavelengths makes possible to
detect oil spills on the water surface in order to determine the type of oil and to
estimate the oil spill parameters (area,

thickness, volume). Remote sensing