Global Sea Surface Skin Temperature from Suomi-NPP VIIRS Satellite

Global sea surface skin temperature data derived from the Visible and Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi-NPP satellite. The dataset provides two products: a day/night skin SST from 11 and 12 micron channels and a night-only triple-channel SST, with a spatial resolution of 750 meters at nadir and full daily coverage via approximately 288 five-minute granules. It is produced by NASA as part of the GHRSST project through collaboration between JPL, OBPG, and RSMAS.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global ocean heat content and thermal anomalies using the skin SST and SST_triple fields.
• Assimilating 750m resolution SST data into numerical weather prediction and ocean circulation models.
• Studying diurnal warming cycles by comparing day and night SST products from the VIIRS infrared channels.
• Validating and calibrating other satellite-derived SST products using the GHRSST-standardized L2P format.
• Investigating regional phenomena like upwelling or marine heat waves with full daily global coverage.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution data with a 750-meter spatial resolution at nadir, enabling detailed spatial analysis.
• Offers full global coverage each day through approximately 288 data granules, ensuring temporal completeness.
• Includes two algorithmically distinct SST products (day/night skin SST and night-only SST_triple) for robust measurement.
• Developed through a multi-agency collaboration (NASA JPL, OBPG, RSMAS) under the GHRSST project, ensuring scientific rigor.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, dataset size, and licensing information are not provided by any source.
• The SST_triple product is limited to night-time use only due to sun glint interference in the 3.7 micron channel.
• Conflicting metadata exists: one source lists a last updated date of 2026-04-01, while another shows null, indicating potential inconsistency.

Provenance

Source

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG), and Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) under the GHRSST project.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the VIIRS instrument on the Suomi-NPP spacecraft, using infrared channels and a modified nonlinear SST algorithm.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:27:13.523773

Geography

Global