Determination of sea surface temperature using combined TOVS and AVHRR data. Application to the Canary Islands area, Spain

The determination of sea surface temperature from satellite is performed by means of multi-channel algorithms with channels 4 and 5 of AVHRR-NOAA or using radiative transfer models and radiosounding profiles of air temperature and humidity. In this work, an alternative to the current algorithms has been established. A new method combining the information supplied by sensors of TOVS and AVHRR systems onboard NOAA satellites is proposed. It is based on the split-window technique, the coefficients A and B being determined as a function of the water vapour content, which is calculated using the TOVS sensors. The T-4 and T-5 temperatures are supplied by the AVHRR system. Then, combining both sensors the necessity of available radiosoundings is avoided.