Satellite observations of the ocean surface emissivity at 150 GHz

Satellite measurements from the Special Sensor Microwave Water Vapor Sounder (SSM/T-2) are used to retrieve the emissivity of the ocean surface at 150 GHz under clear skies with the goal of comparing these observations to permittivity models. Infrared data from the Operational Linescan System (OLS) aided in cloud clearing and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) data provided an independent estimate of the integrated water vapor. Results show that there is a wide range of disagreement between the observations and the models, with differences of 2-6% (or, equivalently, 4-12 K in surface emission). These differences are anticipated to have important consequences for retrieving low-level water vapor and cloud liquid water over higher latitude ocean regions