GHRSST North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature from NOAA-18 AVHRR

NEODAAS produces approximately 15 satellite passes daily, providing Level 2P swath-based sea surface temperature data for the North Atlantic region. The dataset originates from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer on the NOAA-18 satellite, with a spatial resolution of 1.1 km at nadir and a swath width of approximately 2400 km. This GHRSST-compliant dataset supports ocean and climate monitoring.

Use Cases

• Monitoring daily sea surface temperature patterns and thermal fronts in the North Atlantic using the derived SST values.
• Assimilating near-real-time ocean temperature data into operational forecasting models via the GHRSST Level 2P format.
• Studying diurnal and seasonal SST variability from the time-series of approximately 15 daily satellite passes.
• Validating lower-resolution ocean model outputs against the 1.1 km nadir resolution satellite measurements.
• Analyzing spatial gradients and oceanographic features using the swath-based geospatial data covering NW Europe and the Arctic.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution data with a ground resolution of 1.1 km at nadir from the AVHRR sensor.
• Offers frequent temporal coverage with approximately 15 satellite passes acquired per day over the region.
• Adheres to the international GHRSST Level 2P standard, ensuring interoperability for oceanographic research.
• Features a wide observational swath of approximately 2400 km, enabling broad spatial coverage per pass.

Limitations

• Specific row count, total dataset size, and complete column list are unknown across all sources.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between sources (2015-09-10 and 2026-03-05), creating uncertainty about data freshness.
• License information is not provided, which may restrict clear understanding of usage rights.

Provenance

Source

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Analysis Service (NEODAAS) in collaboration with the National Centre for Ocean Forecasting (NCOF), United Kingdom.

Collection Method

Data acquired from direct broadcast High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) passes from the AVHRR instrument on the NOAA-18 satellite and processed into GHRSST Level 2P format.

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:26:38.270295

Geography

North Atlantic area, specifically covering NW Europe and the Arctic.