Remote observation of the sea surface and atmosphere The oceanic skin effect

A comparison is made between the measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), obtained using an infrared radiometer mounted on a vessel of the British Antarctic Survey, and from a conventional Meteorological Office rubber bucket with mercury thermometer. These measurements are used to investigate the size and variability of the oceanic skin effect from the tropical Atlantic to the waters of Antarctica. The implication of the skin effect on the validation of satellite-borne infrared sensors of the sea surface temperature is also investigated. In terms of the overall average for the complete Atlantic Ocean data set, the skin of the sea is about 0-30 deg K cooler than the bulk at about 10cm below the surface. There are only a few cases of the skin being warmer than the bulk temperature, on the other hand there are some occasions when the skin can be of the order of 1 -0 deg K cooler than the bulk. There is a suggestion that the skin effect at night-time is smaller than it is during the day-time, and a possible explanation of this is given in terms of the complication of the diurnal thermocline. The skin effect can be an important source of error in the validation of space-borne sensors of SST, particularly with the requirement for high accuracy of SST measurement for climate studies. In terms of the retrieval of SST from satellite infrared sensors the skin effect is only one of several physical effects that create uncertainty in the value of SST.