Global Near-Real-Time Subskin Sea Surface Temperature from AMSR2 Satellite

AMSR2's conical scan provides over 99% Earth coverage every 2 days with daytime and nighttime observations. This Level-3U dataset offers near-real-time subskin sea surface temperature, typically available within 3 hours of measurement, derived from the GCOM-W satellite instrument operated by JAXA and processed by Remote Sensing Systems. The v8.2 product supersedes the previous v8a version.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean heat content anomalies by analyzing the subskin SST field across daily global swaths.
• Validating and calibrating other satellite-derived SST products using the consistent microwave-based measurements from AMSR2.
• Assimilating near-real-time SST observations into numerical weather prediction and ocean circulation models to improve forecast initialization.
• Studying diurnal warming cycles by comparing the separate daytime and nighttime SST data acquisitions.
• Tracking mesoscale ocean features like eddies and fronts using the 1450 km swath width for broad spatial context.

Strengths

• Provides over 99% global coverage every 2 days due to the instrument's 1450 km swath and conical scan.
• Data latency is typically within 3 hours, supporting near-real-time monitoring and forecasting applications.
• Version 8.2 represents an updated and superseding processing algorithm from the previous v8a dataset.

Limitations

• Microwave-derived SST represents the subskin temperature, which can differ from skin or bulk SST measurements used by other systems.
• The spatial resolution is coarser compared to infrared-based SST products, limiting analysis of very fine-scale features.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and precise temporal coverage bounds are not provided in the available metadata.

Provenance

Source

Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) on the JAXA GCOM-W satellite, processed by Remote Sensing Systems (REMSS) for the GHRSST Project.

Collection Method

Derived from passive microwave emissions measured by the rotating AMSR2 instrument, processed to Level-3U (Unmapped) SST.

Time Range

Post-launch from May 18, 2012 onward; exact end date not specified.

Freshness

Near-real-time with approximately 3-hour latency.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.