Dear Jonathan Gregory,
I have not yet replied to this e-mail yet from you...thanks for the
information on the meaning of the various surface temperatures.
Yes, the land skin temperature is actually different from the
"surface_temperature" standard name since it corresponds to the skin,
and not the interface, temperature. So, I do believe that an additional
name will need to be added to account for this land analogue to
"sea_surface_skin_temperature." Here is my current proposal:
Standard Name: land_surface_skin_temperature
Definition:The surface called "surface" means the lower boundary of the
atmosphere. The land surface skin temperature is the temperature
measured by an infrared radiometer, but measurements from microwave
radiometers operating at GHz wavelengths also exist. It represents the
aggregate temperature of the skin surface where "skin" means the surface
medium viewed by a sensor to a vertical depth of approximately 12
micrometers.
Measurements of this quantity are subject to a large potential diurnal
cycle which is primarily due to the balance between heating during the
day by solar radiation and continual cooling from terrestrial
(long-wave) radiation emitted by the skin surface.
Canonical Units:K
Sincerely,
Jonathan
On 6/7/2013 3:47 AM, Jonathan Gregory wrote:
Dear Jonathan W
If my interpretation of all of the surface temperature names is
correct, then there may need to be a modification to the current
definition of "sea_surface_temperature." In particular, this
definition states "It is the temperature of sea water near the
surface (including the part under sea-ice, if any), and not the skin
temperature, whose standard name is surface_temperature." However,
it seems to me that the "surface_temperature" is the
atmosphere/medium interface temperature, and not the temperature of
the medium below the interface (e.g. the skin temperature). So, I'm
wondering if the above sentence in quotes incorrectly refers to the
"surface_temperature" when perhaps it should refer to the
"sea_surface_skin_temperature"?
Yes, I think you are right. This definition of sea_surface_temperature may
predate the introduction of sea_surface_skin_temperature. The SST is neither
the true interface temperature (for which the name is surface_temperature) nor
the "skin" temperature, but a bulk temperature applying to a rather ill-defined
upper layer of the ocean. There isn't a land analogue for SST.
If land skin temperature is different from surface_temperature of the
interface, a new name is needed for it, I agree.
Cheers
Jonathan
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