As for the issue of
the SST bias correction applied to HadSST2 (which forms the marine component of HadCRUT) Rayner et al (2006) themselves admit that the bias correction is incorrect.
So, the next step will be to revisit
the SST bias corrections and refine them, making use of the new information uncovered concerning national measurement practices and new analysis techniques that allow for more accurate corrections in areas and at times where there are few data.
We add independent uncertainties due to urbanisation, changing land - based observing practices and
SST bias corrections.
Not exact matches
This would imply that the last few years in ths
SST record is
biased a little low — but as I said also, it's probably best to wait and see how this plays out when all the new
corrections are made.
The relevant passage from Karl et al seems to be: «In essence, the
bias correction involved calculating the average difference between collocated buoy and ship
SSTs.
Because GISTEMP, NCDC and HadCRUT3 are all using current generation
SST datasets, and HadCRUT4 is using a next generation
SST product with additional
bias corrections.
These changes have resulted in a time - dependent
bias in the global
SST record, and various
corrections have been developed to account for the
bias (18).
In essence, the
bias correction involved calculating the average difference between collocated buoy and ship
SSTs.
al. 2007 made no recommendations as to how an overall
bias correction should be made, but did point out the difficulties of normalizing
SST, wind speed, temp, barometric pressure, etc..
Most satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (
SST) also need
bias correction and there are subtle differences between ship and buoy measurements of
SST.
The
bias correction procedure was changed and this resulted in different
SST anomalies and different trends during the last 15 + years relative to ERSST version 3.
Given that
biases in buckets measurements depend on the air - sea temperature difference any more detailed
corrections would involve using both MAT and
SST together.
When Folland and Parker's
correction is adopted to the historical
SST data, the systematic
biases in monthly mean
SST anomalies have been corrected almost perfectly at three stations, and the
biases at the other two stations have been reduced by 40 - 50 %.»
A
bias correction method will be used to provide the bulk
SST.
a Uncertainties (2 sigma) du to: data gaps and random errors estimated by RSOA (heavy solid);
SST bias -
corrections (heavy dashes); urbanisation (light dashes); changes in thermometer exposures on LAT (light solid).
Table 2.2 shows linear trends of the annual optimum averages, and twice their standard errors, for the globe and hemispheres using the restricted maximum likelihood method as in Table 2.1 and allowing for the annual uncertainties due to data gaps, urbanisation over land, and
bias corrections to
SST.
However unlike the Jones et al. estimates of uncertainty, the optimum average also includes uncertainties in
bias corrections to
SST up to 1941 (Folland and Parker, 1995) and the uncertainties (as included in Figure 2.1) in the land data component that are due to urbanisation.