Sensitivity of Satelllite Multichannel Sea Surface Temperature Retrievals to the Air-Sea Temperature Difference
Abstract
The advanced very high resolution radiometer multichannel sea surface temperature (MCSST) retrieval technique provides global algorithm accuracy statistics generally showing a bias of less than 0.15 deg C and an rms error of less than 0.7 deg C when compared to collocated drifting buoy in situ data in the absence of aerosols. This remaining error is not always random but is shown to be correlated to the air-sea temperature difference. The MCSST technique is modeled and then compared to in situ data to show this dependency. Atmospheric radiative transfer calculations are used to provide a simulation of satellite retrieval sensitivity to air-sea temperature differences. Buoy sea surface temperature (SST) and air temperature observations are then presented as experimental verification of the simulation results. Retrieval errors depend both on the mean air-sea temperature difference conditions present in the data set used to empirically derive the algorithm and on the changes in air-sea- temperature difference conditions relative to the derivation data set mean conditions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 15, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA268281
Entities
People
- Douglas A. May
- Ronald J. Holyer
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory