OPERATIONAL SST RETRIEVAL FROM METOP/AVHRR

• Main Authors: P. Le Borgne, G. Legendre, A. Marsouin
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.497.2393

The new EUMETSAT Polar Orbiter, METOP, carries an Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) that enables the retrieval of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) over the world ocean. The Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF) of EUMETSAT has developed an operational processing chain aiming to produce METOP derived SST fields globally in near real time (within a few hours after data acquisition onboard the satellite). The retrieval algorithms, based on multispectral methods, have been defined by using simulated brightness temperatures calculated by applying a Radiative Transfer Model (RTM) on an oceanic atmospheric profile database. These algorithms are applied on clear sky pixels as defined by the MAIA cloud mask. Complementary tests are made to check the quality of the masking procedure. The operational chain produces a series of indicators synthesized into a confidence level which is delivered with each SST value. SST data are delivered in satellite projection at full resolution, and as 12 hourly synthetic fields remapped onto a regular world grid at 0.05 degree resolution. The format of the delivered product will be fully compliant with the international standard recommended by the GODAE High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (GHRSST) pilot project. METOP derived SST are validated by comparison with other satellite derived SSTs and by comparison with in situ buoy measurements.