In Situ Data and Ocean Heat Content Estimates

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In Situ Data and Ocean Heat Content Estimates
Proving again, that they really dont know much
when it comes to climate, climate change and so
forth ? Rush Limbaugh

• Josh K. Willis
• joshua.k.willis_at_jpl.nasa.gov
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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Upper-Ocean cooling
from Lyman et al. (GRL, 2006)
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Alas,
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WHOI float distribution
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WHOI float biases
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A correction to recent cooling
Ocean Heat Content from 2004 to 2006
Removing the bad float data reduces the cooling
but does not completely eliminate it.
From Willis et al., GRL, in prep.
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XBT data is biased warm
Shallow XBTs have a bigger bias
from Wijffels et al., in prep.
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A correction to recent cooling
Ocean Heat Content from 2004 to 2006
Another bias XBTs are biased warm, which also
causes spurious cooling.
From Willis et al., GRL, in prep.
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XBT bias fall-rate errors pair analysis
Comparison of Isotherm Displacements
XBT/Argo pairs 12,000
Argo/CTD pairs 2,000
From Willis et al., GRL, in prep.
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From Wijffels et al., manuscript in prep.
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In the 1990s altimeter allows correction by
probe type
Time dependence of bias in Sippican Deep Blue XBT
probes

• Bias increases over time
• Hi bias in later years may reflect double
  application of Hanawa et al. (1995) correction

From Wijffels et al., manuscript in prep.
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Climatologies with XBT data bias warm
Levitus, WOA05 climatology
Gouretski Koltermann, WGHC climatology
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How Rush Limbaugh made me look silly in front of
all my scientist friends

• Josh K. Willis
• joshua.k.willis_at_jpl.nasa.gov
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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My brush with Rush
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To overturn the world economy based on the
musings of a few idiot leftist scientists is just
stupid, and thats what Global Warming is all
about. ? Rush
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Additional Slides
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The pseudo pair
Coefficient of regression, r between SSH anomaly
and T(400 m)

• Much of upper ocean T variaibility is contained
  in SSH anomaly
• Use AVISO SSH maps to make pseudo temperature
  anomalies
• Tpseudo a(z) SSHA

From Wijffels et al., manuscript in prep.
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Pseudo-pair comparison
Comparison of Sippican Deep Blue probes with
nearby Argo pairs (2004 2006), 12,000

• Pseudo-pairs give same bias, but have narrower
  distribution
• More comprehensive means of test XBT bias because
  of SSH data availability

From Wijffels et al., manuscript in prep.
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Pseudo-pair analysis of other data(a.k.a.
sanity check)
Argo profile data
CTD data

• CTD data show no significant bias during any time
  period
• Argo floats show little bias except for WHOI/FSI
  floats

From Wijffels et al., manuscript in prep.