Spatial spectra of ocean surface temperature

One-dimensional variance spectra of radiometric ocean surface temperature are similar at small wave numbers to horizontal spectra within the upper ocean. The variance densities in both surface water and upper ocean water decrease continuously with increasing wave numbers. However, at wave numbers greater than 2–5×10−5 cycle cm−1 the spectra within the water continue to decrease, but the surface spectra often become nearly constant. The additional variance density there is attributed to alteration of the surface temperature by patches of compacted organic films. This compaction is produced by convergences in the turbulence within the water. Thus small-scale temperature patterns on the ocean surface often represent only a superficial consequence of the water circulation rather than bulk temperature variations.