In situ angular measurements of thermal infrared sea surface emissivity-Validation of models

SSE was obtained under several observation angles and surface wind speed conditions, allowing us to study both the angular and the sea surface roughness dependence. Our results were compared with SSE models, showing the validity of the model of Masuda et al. [Masuda, K., Takashima, T., & Takayama, Y. (1988) Emissivity of pure seawaters for the model sea surface in the infrared window regions. Remote Sensing of Environment, 24, 313-329.] for observation angles up to 50°. For larger angles, the effect of double or multiple reflections on the sea surface produces discrepancies between measured and theoretical SSEs, and more complex models should be used to get accurate SSE values, such as the model of Wu and Smith [Wu, X., & Smith, W.L. (1997). Emissivity of rough sea surface for 8-13 μm: modelling and verification. Applied Optics, 36, 2609-2619.].