Figure 1 - Sea surface temperature trends scaled with global surface air temperature trends for half the climate models used in the study. (skepticalscience.com)
The panel was asked to assess whether these apparently conflicting surface and upper air temperature trends lie within the range of uncertainty inherent in the measurements and, if they are judged to lie outside that range, to identify the most probable reason (s) for the differences. (nap.edu)
To remove this difference in magnitude and focus instead on the patterns of change, the authors scaled the vertical profiles of ocean temperature (area - weighted with respect to each vertical ocean layer) with the global surface air temperature trend of each period. (skepticalscience.com)