Remote Sensing As A Tool To Retrieve Sea Surface Temperature Variability In The Southern Region Of China Sea

An algorithm for cloud detection was developed for the southern region of China Sea and used to retrieve AVHRR MCSST (Multi-Channel SST) of high resolution (1km x 1km). By comparing low resolution (9km x 9km) AVHRR PFSST (Pathfinder SST) products and high resolution AVHRR MCSST products with corresponding in situ measured SST in the Taiwan Strait and the northern South China Sea, it was demonstrated that the PFSST of low resolution seems to reduce the real SST fronts in the areas of strong temperature gradients. Nevertheless, in general the AVHRR SST was capable to produce a temporal and spatial pattern of SST consistent with in situ observations in the region under study.An intensive comparative analysis was then conducted in order to evaluate the consistency between remote sensing AVHRR SST and TMI SST and the reanalysis OI.v2 SST when they are used to derive temporal variability of the size and intensity of the South China Sea Warm Pool. Records of monthly, seasonal and interannual pattern of South China Sea Warm Pool (SCSWP) areal index and intensity index were produced from these three SST datasets, respectively. They were found generally changing in accordance with each other at various temporal scales, especially that all of them show bad correspondence with MEI (Multivariate ENSO Index) except during strong ENSO warm phases in 1987～1988 and 1997～1998. It was suggested that the SCSWP might have its own interannual pattern potentially and mainly driven by the East Asian Monsoon, with ENSO effects shown only when the ENSO signals were strong. In general, influences due to cloud cover, raining and land contamination upon AVHRR and TMI remote sensing data seem not producing significant differences in the SCSWP temporal pattern from that derived from OI.v2. Yet differences between the results of AVHRR and OI.v2 did exist especially in autumn from 1990 to 1996, of which no reasonable explanation could be invoked. It was suggested that merging of AVHRR and TMI was probably a better resolution for...