title: Retrieval of Surface Air Specific Humidity Over the Ocean Using AMSR-E Measurements.
abstract: We have developed a new algorithm to estimate the surface air specific humidity over the ocean from AMSR-E data. It should be noted that remarkably reduced random errors of the estimated surface air specific humidity result from using the surface air specific humidity provided by reanalysis data. We validated our new algorithm using independent ship and buoy data. The bias, RMS error, and correlation coefficient of the products obtained using our algorithm for global buoys are 0.38 g/kg, 0.61 g/kg and 0.99, respectively. It should be noted that surface specific humidity having similar accuracy to the reanalysis data near in situ data could be derived from AMSR-E data by the present algorithm.
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University/ Orido, 3-20-1, Shimizu, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan 424-8610. kubota@mercury.oi.u-tokai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masahisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University/ Orido, 3-20-1, Shimizu, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan 424-8610. tsutomu@mercury.oi.u-tokai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hihara
keywords: AMSR-E; microwave radiometer; ocean; surface air specific humidity