An Inter-Comparison of Daily and Monthly In Situ, Satellite Derived and Reanalyzed Sea Surface Temperature Climatology Fields Over the Bay of Bengal

Abstract

Sea surface temperature (SST) is an important and one of the most studied variables in oceanography. In the current study in situ, satellite derived and reanalyzed SST climatology fields are compared for the Bay of Bengal (BOB) region at daily and monthly scales. The analysis of these SST climatologies shows not only spatial difference but also monthly average patterns with slight variations in the form of maximum temperature peak shifts. The climatology fields reveal the spatial extent of intra-seasonal variations of BOB. These variations are more distinct in TMI satellite and in situ SST data. Root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation analysis reveal that TMI and AMSR satellite daily data are more indicative of true state of SSTs and are suitable for surface initial conditions in ocean models, while reanalyzed SSTs are suitable for monthly scale forecast.

Keywords:

• Bay of Bengal
• TMI
• AMSR
• AVHRR
• RMSE

Acknowledgements

We are extremely thankful to both the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions.