Improved Global Sea Surface Temperature Analyses Using Optimum Interpolation

Abstract

The new NOAA operational global sea surface temperature (SST) analysis is described. The analyses use 7 days of in situ (ship and buoy) and satellite SST. These analyses are produced weekly and daily using optimum interpolation (OI) on a 1° grid. The OI technique requires the specification of data and analysis error statistics. These statistics are derived and show that the SST rms data errors from ships are almost twice as large as the data errors from buoys or satellites. In addition, the average e-folding spatial error scales have been found to be 850 km in the zonal direction and 615 km in the meridional direction. The analysis also includes a preliminary step that corrects any satellite biases relative to the in situ data using Poisson's equation. The importance of this correction is demonstrated using recent data following the 1991 eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo. The OI analysis has been computed using the in situ and bias-corrected satellite data for the period 1985 to present.