High-resolution thermal imaging in the Antarctic marginal ice zone: Skin temperature heterogeneity and effects on heat fluxes

Field measurements of physical variables of Antarctic marginal ice zone were acquired during two mission campaigns in winter and spring 2019 in the Atlantic and Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean. Infrared images of the ocean and sea ice surface collected with a thermal camera were used to estimate the skin temperature and the ice cover. Other surface and atmospheric variables acquired along the ship’s route with on-board instruments were used to quantify the surface energy fluxes involved in the surface total heat budget. Data were compared with ERA5 reanalysis estimations. The surface skin temperature compared well with the reanalysis and the dominant uncertainties are attributed to biases in the atmospheric variables.