GHRSST Level 2P: Global Sea Surface Temperature from Suomi NPP VIIRS

VIIRS sensor data from the Suomi NPP satellite provides global sea surface temperature measurements at a 1500-meter resolution. This dataset adheres to the GHRSST Data Processing Specification (GDS) version 2 format. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the organization behind this data, which was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Monitor global ocean warming trends based on daily satellite retrievals.
• Validate and calibrate numerical ocean and climate models using the GHRSST-standardized data.
• Study mesoscale ocean features like eddies and fronts based on the 1500-meter resolution thermal data.
• Assimilate near-real-time sea surface temperature observations into weather forecasting systems.

Strengths

• Data follows the standardized GHRSST Data Processing Specification (GDS) version 2, promoting interoperability.
• Sensor has a 3040-kilometer swath width, providing extensive daily global coverage.
• Effective pixel size for SST is constrained to no more than 1600 meters at the swath edge, with a 1500-meter resolution at nadir after processing.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical modeling.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and completeness require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite retrievals from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:34:22.775611; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global