Near real-time estimation of Sea and Land surface temperature for MSG SEVIRI sensors
Institution:
Global Change Unit, Image Processing Laboratory, University of Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, E-46071 Valencia, Spain
Abstract:
Land and Sea Surface Temperatures (LST and SST) are both recognized as Essential Climate Variables, and are routinely retrieved by a wealth of satellites. However, for validated approaches, the latest data are usually not available to the general public. We offer to bridge this gap, by using Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI), with its 15 min temporal resolution. Here, we present generic algorithms for the retrieval of both LST and SST, valid for the SEVIRI instrument onboard MSG platforms 8–11, which we validate using hourly data of 4 ground stations and 11 buoys in Spain over the years 2015 to 2018. These validations show that in the best conditions of surface homogeneity (cloud-free summer nights), errors in our LST estimation are below 1.5 K for stations with good thermal homogeneity. Comparison with LSA-SAF (Land Surface Analysis - Satellite Application Facility) LST shows differences below 2 K for most of SEVIRI disk, with higher differences in arid areas and during daytime. As for SST retrieval, the average error amount to 0.67 K for cloud-free buoy data. These algorithms have been implemented in a near-real time processing chain, which provide actualized LST and SST maps every 15 min within 5 min of image reception. These maps, along with other products, can be freely consulted from a dedicated webpage (https://www.uv.es/iplsat).
