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Reduction of surface temperature in ocean slicks
Author(s) -
Marmorino G. O.,
Smith G. B.
Publication year - 2006
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 - 10.1029/2006gl026502
Subject(s) - racing slick , thermal infrared , thermal , environmental science , surface layer , sea surface temperature , boundary layer , atmospheric sciences , infrared , remote sensing , surface (topology) , meteorology , geology , layer (electronics) , oceanography , materials science , optics , physics , synthetic aperture radar , composite material , thermodynamics , geometry , mathematics
Airborne infrared imagery collected over the ocean reveals slicks that are 0.1° to nearly 0.4°C cooler than the surrounding water surface. These thermal contrasts are analyzed within a framework of surfactant–turbulence interaction. Slicks are shown to be a potential source of error in the remote retrieval of sea surface temperature, but a slick's thermal contrast is also a potential source of information about the ambient thermal boundary layer.