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A cloud‐free, satellite‐derived, sea surface temperature analysis for the West Florida Shelf
Author(s) -
He Ruoying,
Weisberg Robert H.,
Zhang Haiying,
MullerKarger Frank E.,
Helber Robert W.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2003gl017673
Subject(s) - advanced very high resolution radiometer , sea surface temperature , environmental science , climatology , microwave radiometer , satellite , empirical orthogonal functions , meteorology , radiometer , remote sensing , geology , geography , physics , astronomy
Clouds are problematic in using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery for describing sea surface temperature (SST). The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager (TMI) observes SST through clouds, providing daily, 1/4° maps under all weather conditions excepting rain. A TMI limitation, however, is coarse resolution. Optimal interpolation (OI) is used to generate a cloud‐free, 5‐km, daily SST analysis for the West Florida Shelf (WFS) by merging the high‐resolution (cloud‐covered) AVHRR with the coarse‐resolution (cloud‐free) TMI SST products. Comparisons with in ‐ situ data show good agreements. Given large spatial gradients by coastal ocean processes, this regional analysis has advantage over the global, weekly, 1° Reynolds SST. A 5‐year (1998–2002) OI SST analysis is diagnosed using Empirical Orthogonal Functions. The first two modes represent annual cycles, one by surface heat flux and another by shelf circulation dynamics.