Aridity‐Dependent Land Surface Skin Temperature Biases in CMIP5/6

Abstract Land surface skin temperature, a critical indicator of climate change, connects the water and energy cycles between the land and the atmosphere. Here, we evaluate the simulations of land surface skin temperature from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) and CMIP6 models with satellite‐based datasets and reanalysis. We find systematic cold skin temperature biases over arid regions in CMIP5/CMIP6 simulations. Over arid and semi‐arid regions, latent heat biases drive skin temperature biases by evaporative cooling. Over humid regions, surface downward shortwave and albedo biases are relatively more critical. Spatial patterns of biases remain similar in the latest CMIP6 simulations, suggesting systematic biases in land‐atmosphere interactions. These biases need to be corrected or considered while using models for future projections.