An integrated approach to estimate instantaneous near-surface air temperature and sensible heat flux fields during the SEMAPHORE experiment

Abstract

A new technique was developed to retrieve near-surface instantaneous air temperatures and turbulent sensible heat fluxes using satellite data during the Structure des Echanges Mer-Atmosphere. Proprietes des Heterogeneites Oceaniques: Recherche Experimentale (SEMAPHORE) experiment, which was conducted in 1993 under mainly anticyclonic conditions. The method is based on a regional, horizontal atmospheric temperature advection model whose inputs are wind vectors, sea surface temperature fields, air temperatures around the region under study, and several constants derived from in situ measurements. The intrinsic rms error of the method is 0.7°C in terms of air temperature and 9 W m-2 for the fluxes, both at 0.16° × 0.16° and 1.125° x 1.125° resolution. The retrieved air temperature and flux horizontal structures are in good agreement with fields from two operational general circulation models. The application to SEMAPHORE data involves the First European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1) wind fields. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) SST fields, and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) air temperature boundary conditions. The rms errors obtained by comparing the estimations with research vessel measurements are 0.3°C and 5 W m-2.