Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Surface marine air temperature (MAT) is a fundamental variable in weather and climate applications. However, non‐aspirated MAT sensors, commonly used on ocean observing platforms due to power constraints, often experience radiative heating when the sun is low, producing secondary mid‐morning and mid‐afternoon peaks typically considered erroneous. This study challenges that assumption, showing these peaks can have a geophysical basis. Using a free‐running coupled model, we analyze the relationship between MAT and sea surface temperature (SST). Results indicate that MAT variation includes a significant component from the adiabatic response to pressure changes driven by the semi‐diurnal solar atmospheric tide. This component can cause secondary MAT maxima. Furthermore, it influences air‐sea heat fluxes. The findings emphasize the role of atmospheric tides in air‐sea interactions and caution against uniformly classifying secondary MAT peaks as errors.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2024gl113846
Authors: J. Caggiano, J. E. J. Reeves Eyre, M. F. Cronin, D. Zhang, J. Zhu, A. Kumar, W. Wang
Institutions: University of South Florida, University of South Florida St. Petersburg, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction, NOAA Office of Coast Survey, NOAA Climate Prediction Center, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, University of Washington, Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, & Ecosystem Studies
Language: English
Subfield: Oceanography
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
Awards: G3597922575, G7399672218, G8787450519
OpenAlex ID: W4414824410