Surface Temperature of the Arctic: Comparison of TOVS Satellite Retrievals with Surface Observations

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Abstract
Surface temperature is a fundamental parameter for climate research. Over the Arctic Ocean and neighboring seas conventional temperature observations are often of uncertain quality, however, owing to logistical obstacles in making measurements over sea ice in harsh environmental conditions. Satellites offer an attractive alternative, but standard methods encounter difficulty in detecting clouds in the frequent surface-based temperature inversion and when solar radiation is absent. The Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder Polar Pathfinder (TOVS Path-P) dataset provides nearly 20 yr (1979–98) of satellite-derived, gridded surface skin temperatures for the Arctic region north of 60°N. Another dataset based on surface observations has also recently become available. The International Arctic Buoy Program/Polar Exchange at the Sea Surface (IABP/POLES) project provides a gridded near-surface air temperature dataset based on optimally interpolated observation... Abstract Surface temperature is a fundamental parameter for climate research. Over the Arctic Ocean and neighboring seas conventional temperature observations are often of uncertain quality, however, owing to logistical obstacles in making measurements over sea ice in harsh environmental conditions. Satellites offer an attractive alternative, but standard methods encounter difficulty in detecting clouds in the frequent surface-based temperature inversion and when solar radiation is absent. The Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder Polar Pathfinder (TOVS Path-P) dataset provides nearly 20 yr (1979–98) of satellite-derived, gridded surface skin temperatures for the Arctic region north of 60°N. Another dataset based on surface observations has also recently become available. The International Arctic Buoy Program/Polar Exchange at the Sea Surface (IABP/POLES) project provides a gridded near-surface air temperature dataset based on optimally interpolated observation...