Radiometric measurements of air-sea and air-ice temperature differences in the Arctic

The polar regions are considered to be particularly sensitive to climate change. The complex interactions between the surface and the overlying atmosphere are important aspects of the local heat budget, and through the atmospheric and oceanic general circulations, to global scales. The temperature difference between the surface and the lowest layer of the air is an important parameter in the surface heat budget, but difficult to measure, especially in conditions of mixed sea-ice and open water. Both surface temperature and near-surface air temperature can be determined radiometrically from measurements of the infrared emission spectra of the surface and atmosphere. The use of a Fourier-transform infrared spectroradiometer, the M-AERI (Marine-Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer) on ships can provide such data.