A newly revived Satellite-based Global air-sea Surface Turbulent Fluxes dataset and its dependence on the SSM/I brightness temperature

Accurate sea surface turbulent flux measurements are crucial to understanding the global water and energy cycle changes. Remote sensing is a valuable tool for global monitoring of these flux measurements. The Goddard Satellite-based Surface Turbulent Fluxes (GSSTF) algorithm was developed and applied to remote sensing research and applications. Based on an updated and improved set of input parameters of remote sensing data and model reanalysis, the daily global (1°×1°) GSSTF Version lb (GSTF2b) dataset (July 1987-December 2008) was lately produced and distributed in October, 2010 [1]. GSSTF2b has served the scientific community another useful long term turbulent surface flux dataset for global energy and water cycle research, as well as regional and short period data analyses. It is worth mentioning that the brightness temperature (Tb) of the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) used in the GSSTF production has been found possessing a substantial impact on the retrieved latent heat flux (LHF).