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Variability of Surface Temperature and Albedo

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Polar Oceans from Space

Part of the book series: Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences Library ((ATSL,volume 41))

Abstract

Results from the analysis of the spatial and temporal variability of surface temperature, including that of liquid water at high latitudes, are presented using mainly NOAA/AVHRR data from 1981 to 2008. The average surface temperature of the region north of the Arctic Circle is shown to be increasing at 0.7°C/decade while that south of the Antarctic circle has been increasing much more moderately at 0.1°C/decade. The trend in the Arctic represents about three times the global trend over the same period and is consistent with the expected effect of ice-albedo feedback. The trend of the Antarctic temperature is less than that inferred using global in situ and meteorological station data since 1981. Data from the same set of AVHRR sensors were used to study the spatial and temporal variability of narrow band albedo in the polar regions and results show the patterns of change that are consistent with warming and the changing snow and sea ice cover.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cryospheric Sciences Branch, Code 614.1, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    Josefino Comiso

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  1. Josefino Comiso
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Correspondence to Josefino Comiso .

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© 2010 United States Government as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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Comiso, J. (2010). Variability of Surface Temperature and Albedo. In: Polar Oceans from Space. Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences Library, vol 41. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68300-3_6

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