FY 2002

Specific contributions to the observing system: Sea surface temperatures

Reynolds, R.W., D.E. Harrison, and D.C. Stokes

In Observing the Oceans in the 21st Century, C.J. Koblinsky and N.R. Smith (eds.), GODAE Project Office and Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia, 87–101 (2001)

Sea surface temperature (SST) observations have been made from in situ (ship and buoy) and satellites. SST analyses used for climate purposes must be constant in time and not influenced by the changes that have occurred in the type and number of SST observations. In particular, biases due to in situ instrument changes and satellite aerosol and cloud contamination must be corrected. The largest uncertainties in global analyses occur near the sea-ice margins where SST observations are sparse and where the accuracy of the analyzed ice concentration is not well known. High-resolution SST analyses require the use of satellite as well as in situ SST data. For the high-resolution analyses, the development of accurate algorithms to convert between skin SSTs measured by satellite and bulk SSTs measured by ships and buoys is critical. To improve these analyses additional satellite data are needed. These data include microwave satellite data, which are unaffected by clouds, and geostationary satellite data, which can resolve the diurnal cycle.