A comparison of ship and satellite measurements of sea surface temperatures indicates that a simple linear regression appears to be sufficient to relate the two sets of data obtained from a limited area and over a limited period to within a standard error of 0.5 ¿C. A comparison of the distributions of sea surface temperatures based on continuous shipborne measurements along the cruise track and on satellite data indicated that many similar features were present in both sets of data. Some features, such as oceanic fronts and relative maxima and minima of temperatures along cruise tracks, are reproduced in the satellite data. The difference in the features depicted in the two sets of data over the continental shelf is attributed to actual changes in the features rather than to the difference in the methods of the two sets of measurements. Some of the well-defined features present in the satellite data can be related to characteristic coastal circulation pattern, upwelling, vertical mixing, and instabilities in the flow.