Sea surface temperature signals from satellites - an update

Abstract

Polar satellite-derived observations of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have been used routinely since 1982 to provide a complete monitoring of our planet, covering all corners of the oceans (unless covered by clouds) twice each day. In 1992, an initial glimpse was published (Strong, 1992) of some tendencies that had been observed during the 1980s. Now that seven additional years of NOAA satellite SST data have become available, the earlier time-series (Strong, 1992) has been up-dated. In this analysis of the global nighttime SSTs, care was taken to avoid the anomalous conditions found during the 1982-83 El Chichon aerosols, 1991-92 Mt. Pinatubo aerosols, and the strong El Nino of 1997-98. Evidence of warming is found to be present throughout much of the Tropics and in the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere. Estimates from the Southern Hemisphere, while strongly indicative of compensatory cooling in the region, are found to be not as reliable.