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

Retrievals of skin Sea-Surface Temperature (SSTskin) 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 SSTskin from the radiometric measurements are given in detail. A number of approaches to assess the accuracy and stability of the VIIRS SSTskin 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 S-NPP VIIRS is capable of matching and improving upon the accuracies of SSTskin from the MODISs on Terra and Aqua, and that the VIIRS SSTskin fields have the potential to contribute to the extension of the satellite-derived Climate Data Records of SST into the future.