Does modis sea surface temperature accurately represent the temperature of the dynamically significant surface layer of the ocean?

This paper describes a comparison between ocean skin temperature as estimated by MODIS 11μm radiation in both day and night overpasses, and near-surface measurements made by Argo buoys co-located in time and space with MODIS pixels located in two 20° × 20° regions in the eastern Pacific Ocean, for the period 2003-2010. On average, Argo temperatures were warmer than MODIS temperatures, by about 0.3°C on average in the daytime, and 0.8°C at night. There was significant month-to-month variation in these relationships, but little interannual variability. In general, the measurements are not directly interchangeable within established limits of uncertainty for SST measurements, but are when the mean monthly differences are taken into account. The mean differences themselves provide useful information on the relationship between ocean skin temperature and that a few metres below the surface.