Global Subskin Sea Surface Temperature from AMSR2 Satellite

Global sea surface temperature data is derived from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) on the GCOM-W satellite. The dataset is produced by Remote Sensing Systems for the GHRSST Project, providing near-real-time and final analysis products. AMSR2 achieves over 99% Earth coverage every 2 days from its orbit approximately 700 km above the surface.

Use Cases

• Modeling climate variability by analyzing SST time-series data from the global 1450 km observation swath.
• Detecting SST anomalies for extreme weather forecasting using the near-real-time product available within 3 hours of recording.
• Calibrating other satellite SST products using the final analysis data processed with NCEP FNL atmospheric model inputs.
• Studying diurnal SST cycles by leveraging the dataset's separate daytime and nighttime acquisition passes.

Strengths

• Provides over 99% global Earth coverage every 2 days due to the satellite's conical scan mechanism.
• Offers both near-real-time (within 3 hours) and final archive-quality processing streams.
• Data adheres to the standardized GHRSST Data Processing Specification version 2 format.

Limitations

• Data represents subskin temperature, not bulk sea surface temperature, which may differ for some applications.
• Final product availability depends on receipt of external NCEP Final Analysis data, causing latency.
• Specific spatial resolution, row count, and temporal range are not provided in the input.

Provenance

Source

Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) processing AMSR2 instrument data for the GHRSST Project.

Collection Method

Microwave radiometry measurements from the AMSR2 instrument on the JAXA GCOM-W satellite.

Time Range

Instrument launched May 2012; ongoing data collection.

Freshness

Near-real-time product is available within 3 hours of satellite recording; final product has delayed processing.

Geography

Global coverage.