A COMPARISON OF OCEANIC SKIN-EFFECT PARAMETERIZATIONS USING SHIP-BORNE RADIOMETER DATA

Sea surface temperature data from a shipborne radiometer were used to assess the thermal skin effect parameterization schemes of Saunders [1 967], Hasse [1971], Schlussel et al. [1990], and Soloviev and Schlusse l [1994]. Under low-wind, high-insolation conditions, the presence of a near surface thermocline resulted in an apparent skin effect which d epended on the history of the surface heating. Neglecting these cases, the Saunders [1967] and other schemes which omit solar radiation were the most effective. The observed variation with wind speed of the adj ustable coefficient, lambda(S), in the Saunders formulae was similar t o that predicted by Soloviev and Schlussel [1994], but the values were significantly higher, resulting in a greater magnitude of the observe d skin effect. For the conditions occurring in this data set the bette r formulae predicted the skin effect with a standard deviation of +/-0 .16 degrees C compared to a variation of the observed skin effect of n early +/-0.3 degrees C.