A Comparison of CCM2–BATS Skin Temperature and Surface-Air Temperature with Satellite and Surface Observations

Abstract

This paper reports on two types of comparisons that were conducted. First, 10-yr modeled skin temperatures were compared with observations to evaluate model simulations of this quantity. The simulations were conducted with the NCAR CCM2 coupled with the Biosphere‐Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS). The observations were obtained from TIROS-N/HIRS-2 and the First ISLSCP Field Experiment in situ measurements. Second, modeled skin temperatures were compared with surface-air temperatures to illustrate the differences between them at various spatial and temporal resolutions. This is the first such study of skin temperature in a GCM. When compared with the observations, it is evident that the CCM2‐BATS can successfully reproduce many features of skin temperature, including its global-scale pattern, seasonal and diurnal variations, and the effects of the land surface type. However, modeled skin temperature seems to be underestimated in high latitudes in January and overestimated in low- and midlatitudes, especially over arid and semiarid regions in July. Statistical analyses suggest that the differences between skin and surface-air temperatures are scale dependent. They differ the most at smaller scales and are most similar at larger scales (i.e., they differ the most for regional scales and diurnally, and agree more closely on monthly scales and hemispheric spatial scales). The similarity between skin and air temperatures averaged over monthly and large spatial scales implies that the well-established surface-air temperature measurements may be used to validate satellite-obtained skin temperatures. The differences between skin temperature and air temperature are greatest in the winter hemisphere. The monthly maximum skin temperature is greater than maximum air temperature by about 3.58‐5.58C, and minimum skin temperature is less than minimum air temperature by 3.08‐4.58C. For monthly time averaging and continental or hemispheric spatial scales, skin temperature is consistently lower than air temperature by about 0.5 8‐1.08C. This work also studies the effects of different land types, vegetative cover, soil wetness, and cloud cover on skin temperature. These effects are partially responsible for the differences between skin and surface-air temperatures. These results are similar to those from earlier studies done at specific sites.