Abstract
A sea surface effect (SSE), in this paper, is meant as the temperature difference between the uppermost sea surface and a certain depth for sea truth. The SSE is known as one of major error sources in the sea surface temperature (SST) estimation by remote sensing. In order to investigate the SSE, a special measurement device called a SST profiler buoy (SSTPB) was developed and has been installed in Must Bay for two years.
This paper is concerned with the statistical analysis for the observed data by SSTPB. It is interpreted that the SSE is apparent when the temperature difference between the uppermost sea surface and the 1 m depth is more than 0.5°C. The maximum of the difference was 4.6°C observed at 14 : 30 on July 7, 1992. The SSE appeared consistently in the calm and clear daytime from May to September. It grows when the solar elevation is higher than 36 deg. and the wind speed is less than 2 m/s. The rate of occurrence was about 20% of the total days of observation.
