SST retrieval from IRAS/FY-3A data

This paper presents the retrieval of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from the measurements acquired by the InfraRed Atmospheric Sounder (IRAS) onboard the Chinese second generation polar-orbiting meteorological satellite FengYun 3A (FY-3A). First, the intercalibration of IRAS/FY-3A channels 8 and 9 with AIRS/Aqua channels in July 2008 over the North Pole region was implemented using the High Spectral Convolution (HSC) method, and the Sea Surface Emissivities (SSE) in the two split-window channels were simulated using the model developed by Wu and Smith (1997). Then, a split-window algorithm was developed with the aid of numerical experiments carried out using MODTRAN, the SAFREE dataset and the simulated SSEs. Finally, the SSTs in global scale were estimated from the actual IRAS/FY-3A measurements by the algorithm, and then were validated with the drifting buoy data of National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). The results indicate that the SST retrieval accuracy is ~0.60 K.