Aqua MODIS SST: Global Day/Night Sea Surface Temperature

Aqua MODIS Level-3 Global Mapped 11µm Day/Night Sea Surface Temperature (SST) - Near Real-time (NRT) Data provides global sea surface temperature derived primarily from thermal infrared observations. The dataset is produced by the Ocean Biology DAAC (OB_DAAC) and is intended for near real-time monitoring, though it uses less-than-optimal ancillary data. Users apply SST to detect ocean fronts and eddies, monitor marine heatwaves, and drive ecosystem and climate models.

Use Cases

• Detecting ocean fronts and eddies based on spatial temperature gradients.
• Monitoring marine heatwaves using time-series temperature anomalies.
• Driving ecosystem and habitat models when paired with chlorophyll-a (chlor_a) and other ocean color variables.
• Providing boundary conditions for biogeochemical and climate analyses.

Strengths

• Provides global spatial coverage of sea surface temperature.
• Offers near real-time (NRT) data for timely monitoring applications.
• Includes a quality flag (qual_sst) to assist with data filtering.

Limitations

• Inputs and calibration for the quicklook (NRT) product are described as 'less than optimal'.
• Infrared-based SST is sensitive to clouds, aerosols, and diurnal warming effects.
• Key metadata such as row count, size, and specific license terms are missing or conflicting across sources.

Provenance

Source

Ocean Biology DAAC (OB_DAAC)

Collection Method

Derived from thermal infrared observations by the Aqua MODIS satellite sensor.

Freshness

Last updated: 2026-03-13 15:51:31.915742

Geography

Global