The accuracy of AVHRR SST determined using shipborne radiometers

Observations of the oceanic thermal skin made during SUDOFEX have demonstra ted the effectiveness of operationally using new shipborne radiometers to s how the correspondence between in situ radiometric skin sea surface tempera ture (skin SST) and the present AVHRR sea surface temperature (pseudo bulk SST) products. A recommendation is made that algorithms should be derived t hat produce skin SST by regression against in situ skin SST rather than sub surface thermometer data. This will eliminate SST errors arising from both the oceanic thermal skin effect and the diurnal thermocline.