GHRSST Level 2P: Global Sea Surface Temperature from MetOp Satellites at 4 km Resolution

A global sea surface temperature dataset derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on the MetOp-A, -B, and -C satellites. The data are produced in real-time by the US Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) for operational oceanographic analyses and forecasts. The v2.0 update increased the spatial resolution from 9 km to 4 km at nadir and includes algorithm improvements for cloud detection and inter-calibration across the three MetOp platforms.

Use Cases

• Train ocean temperature forecasting models based on twice-daily global satellite observations.
• Analyze climate change trends based on long-term, consistent sea surface temperature retrievals.
• Validate and calibrate other oceanographic models using operational data from the US Naval Oceanographic Office.
• Study diurnal temperature variations based on sun-synchronous satellite passes mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Spatial resolution improved to 4 km at nadir in the v2.0 update.
• Data are produced in real-time for operational use by the US Naval Oceanographic Office.
• Algorithm improvements allow consistent inter-calibration across MetOp-A, -B, and -C satellites.

Limitations

• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), derived from AVHRR level-1B data from the MetOp satellites.

Collection Method

Satellite retrievals from the AVHRR sensor, with samples averaged to produce Global Area Coverage (GAC) data.

Time Range

Covers the operational periods of MetOp-A (launched 2006), MetOp-B (launched 2012), and MetOp-C (launched 2018).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 02:33:44.942200; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage, with a sensor swath of 2400 km.