Skin Sea-Surface Temperature from VIIRS on Suomi-NPP—NASA Continuity Retrievals.

Retrievals of skin Sea-Surface Temperature (SST_skin) from the measurements of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite on the Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite are presented and discussed. The algorithms used to derive the SST_skin from the radiometric measurements are given in detail. A number of approaches to assess the accuracy and stability of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) SST_skin retrievals are reported, and factors including latitude and season, and physical processes in the atmosphere and at the surface are discussed. We conclude that the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) VIIRS is capable of matching and improving upon the accuracies of SST_skin from the MODISs on Terra and Aqua, and that the VIIRS SST_skin fields have the potential to contribute to the extension of the satellite-derived Climate Data Records of SST into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]