An atmospheric-pressure argon plasma jet is generated with tube-ring electrodes in surface dielectric barrier discharge by a sinusoidal excitation voltage at 8 kHz. The electrical and spectral characteristics are estimated such as conduction and displacement current, electric-field, electron temperature, rotational temperature of N-2 and OH, electronic excitation temperature, and oxygen atomic density. It is found that the electric-field magnitudes in the top area of the ground electrode are higher than that in the bottom area of the power electrode, and the electron temperature along radial direction is in the range of 9.6-10.4 eV and along axial direction in the range of 4.9-10 eV. The rotational temperature of N-2 obtained by comparing the simulated spectrum with the measured spectrum at the C-3 Pi(u)-> B-3 Pi(g)(Delta v=-2) band transition is in the range of 342-387 K, the electronic excitation temperature determined by Boltzmann's plot method is in the range of 3188-3295 K, and the oxygen atomic density estimated by the spectral intensity ratio of atomic oxygen line lambda=844.6 nm to argon line lambda=750.4 nm is in the order of magnitude of 10(16) cm(-3), respectively. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.