Birol Kara, Alan Wallcraft, and Harley Hurlburt, NRL Stennis
Importance of near-surface atmospheric variables in driving the seasonal cycle of climatological mean sea surface temperature~(SST) is investigated over the global ocean. A total of six variables which are thought to influence SST are air temperature, vapor mixing wind speed (all are just above the sea surface), and precipitation, net shortwave radiation, net longwave radiation (all are the sea surface). Results based on a nondimensional skill score reveals that shortwave radiation is generally superior to wind speed in driving the SST seasonal cycle over the global ocean. Importance order for atmospheric variables experiences large spatial variability, in that SST accuracy (skill) in comparison to the satellite fields are mainly controlled vapor mixing ratio at most of the tropical oceans, while shortwave radiation drives SST skill in mid-latitudes and wind speed is the main variable in the Indian Ocean.