Evaluation of the ABI/GOES-16 SST Product in the Tropical and Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Sea surface temperature (SST) is an essential climate variable used for ocean and weather monitoring and forecasting. The NOAA’s next generation geostationary satellite GOES-16 was declared operational at the east position (75°W) in December 2017, carrying onboard an Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). The hyperspectral ABI sensor now allows SST estimates every 10–15 min at both day and nighttime, with advanced options for cloud screening and water vapor correction. In the present work, we compare the first operational ABI SST product (OSI SAF, 2018) with an in situ match-up database (MDB) across the Tropical and Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, off the Brazilian coast, throughout the year of 2018. The MDB was obtained from two long-term programs, i.e., PIRATA moored buoys (FOLTZ et al., 2016) and PNBoia moored and drifting buoys (MARINHA DO BRASIL, 2017). Separate comparisons were made for each data set, analyzing the uncertainties according to the program (i.e., buoy type and region), satellite SST quality level and influence of diurnal heating. We also compare the ABI product with the OSTIA analysis L4 SST (DONLON et al., 2012) to increment our analyses on the spatio-temporal biases within the study region. The results show that the OSI SAF ABI SST L3C has a mean bias (0.1 °C) and error (RMSE, 0.5 °C) within the GHRSST standards, with an exception being coastal waters off the southeast Brazilian coast (RMSE, 0.65 °C), which are subjected to sharp thermal fronts. The highest biases are for regions/seasons subjected to persistent cloud coverage and high water-vapor content, i.e., the Intertropical and South Atlantic Convergence Zones, as well as highly dynamic frontal zones, i.e., the Brazil Malvinas Confluence Zone, the Subtropical Front and coastal waters. The ABI SST product is suitable for operational use, and applications should explore more deeply the new set of information provided.