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Cited by 97Calibration and Measurement TechniquesOceanographic and Atmospheric ProcessesClimate variability and models

A reprocessing for climate of sea surface temperature from the along-track scanning radiometers: Initial validation, accounting for skin and diurnal variability effects

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Embury, Owen, Merchant, Christopher J., Corlett, Gary K.·2012·Remote Sensing of Environment
DOI 10.1016/j.rse.2011.02.028
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Abstract

An initial validation of the Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) Reprocessing for Climate (ARC) retrievals of sea surface temperature (SST) is presented. ATSR-2 and Advanced ATSR (AATSR) SST estimates are compared to drifting buoy and moored buoy observations over the period 1995 to 2008. The primary ATSR estimates are of skin SST, whereas buoys measure SST below the surface. Adjustment is therefore made for the skin effect, for diurnal stratification and for differences in buoy–satellite observation time. With such adjustments, satellite-in situ differences are consistent between day and night within ~ 0.01 K. Satellite-in situ differences are correlated with differences in observation time, because of the diurnal warming and cooling of the ocean. The data are used to verify the average behaviour of physical and empirical models of the warming/cooling rates. Systematic differences between adjusted AATSR and in-situ SSTs against latitude, total column water vapour (TCWV), and wind speed are less than 0.1 K, for all except the most extreme cases (TCWV < 5 kg m–2, TCWV > 60 kg m–2). For all types of retrieval except the nadir-only two-channel (N2), regional biases are less than 0.1 K for 80% of the ocean. Global comparison against drifting buoys shows night time dual-view two-channel (D2) SSTs are warm by 0.06 ± 0.23 K and dual-view three-channel (D3) SSTs are warm by 0.06 ± 0.21 K (day-time D2: 0.07 ± 0.23 K). Nadir-only results are N2: 0.03 ± 0.33 K and N3: 0.03 ± 0.19 K showing the improved inter-algorithm consistency to ~ 0.02 K. This represents a marked improvement from the existing operational retrieval algorithms for which inter-algorithm inconsistency is > 0.5 K. Comparison against tropical moored buoys, which are more accurate than drifting buoys, gives lower error estimates (N3: 0.02 ± 0.13 K, D2: 0.03 ± 0.18 K). Comparable results are obtained for ATSR-2, except that the ATSR-2 SSTs are around 0.1 K warm compared to AATSR.

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Authors
Embury, O., Merchant, C. J., & Corlett, G. K.
Affiliations
  • University of Edinburgh (GB)
  • University of Leicester (GB)
Corresponding author
Merchant, Christopher J.
ORCID
Venue
Remote Sensing of Environment
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-01
Volume
116
Pages
62-78
ISSN
0034-4257 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.rse.2011.02.028
OpenAlex
W2035173900
Cited by
97
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 3
FWCI
14.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Remote Sensing of Environment (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • CentAUR (University of Reading) (submittedVersion)
  • Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Natural Environment Research Council
  • Ministry of Defence
  • Department of Energy and Climate Change (previously Defra)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Calibration and Measurement Techniques
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
Keywords
sea surface temperature, ATSR, drifting buoys, moored buoys, total column water vapour, interannual variability

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