GOES-16 Sea Surface Temperature Data for the Americas

30-minute to hourly sea surface temperature (SSTskin) observations from 2017 onward, covering the Americas region (60S-60N, 135W-15W) on a 0.05-degree grid. The dataset is produced by EUMETSAT's OSI SAF using a three-band algorithm from the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager, enabling daytime SST retrieval. It is part of the GHRSST Level 3 Collated collection and is available in near real-time.

Use Cases

• Analyzing diurnal warming cycles using the 30-minute observation intervals.
• Monitoring marine heatwaves and ocean fronts across the Americas with the 0.05-degree gridded SST fields.
• Validating ocean circulation and climate models against satellite-derived skin temperature measurements.
• Studying atmospheric correction methods that utilize the three-band (8.4, 10.3, 12.3 um) algorithm for moisture and cirrus detection.

Strengths

• Provides daytime SST calculations, a capability not available from previous GOES-East platforms.
• Utilizes a three-band algorithm for improved atmospheric correction and thin cirrus detection.
• Offers high temporal resolution with data aggregated from 30-minute observations into hourly products.
• Covers a wide geographic region (60S to 60N, 135W to 15W) relevant for American and Atlantic basin studies.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and detailed column names are not provided across any platform.
• The stated last update date of 2026-04-01 on Data.gov is inconsistent and appears to be a placeholder or error.
• License information is not specified, which may restrict certain uses.

Provenance

Source

European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF).

Collection Method

Derived from retrievals of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on board the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 (GOES-16), processed using a multispectral algorithm corrected with NWP atmospheric profiles.

Time Range

From the operational start of GOES-16 (approx. 2017) to present (near real-time).

Freshness

2026-04-01 14:54:46.210155 (Note: This date from Data.gov is likely erroneous as it is in the future.)

Geography

Americas Region: 60°S to 60°N, 135°W to 15°W.