Global sea surface temperature data derived from the AMSR2 instrument on the GCOM-W satellite. Remote Sensing Systems processes the final SST product using NCEP atmospheric model data. The instrument provides over 99% Earth coverage every 2 days via a 1450 km swath.
Use Cases
- Analyzing SST anomaly trends over time using the gridded temperature data.
- Validating ocean circulation models by comparing model SST outputs against the satellite-derived subskin temperature field.
- Studying diurnal warming cycles by leveraging the dataset's separate daytime and nighttime observations.
- Investigating SST correlations with wind speed, using the NCEP wind direction data integrated into the retrieval process.
- Monitoring regional ocean heat waves by mapping the spatial and temporal SST data provided in the Level 3U product.
Strengths
- Provides over 99% global coverage every 2 days due to the satellite's conical scan mechanism.
- Data is refined using the NCEP Final Analysis atmospheric model for more accurate SST and wind speed retrieval.
- Supersedes a previous version (v8a), indicating ongoing algorithm improvement.
Limitations
- Specific row count, file size, and temporal range are not provided in the description.
- Data represents 'subskin' temperature, which differs from bulk sea surface temperature and may require specialized interpretation.
- Final product accumulation can take up to 2 days, introducing a latency for real-time applications.
Provenance
- Source
- Remote Sensing Systems (RSS/REMSS), derived from the AMSR2 instrument on JAXA's GCOM-W satellite.
- Collection Method
- Microwave remote sensing via the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), with processing using NCEP FNL Operational Global Analysis data.
- Time Range
- Instrument launched May 18, 2012; specific dataset start date is not provided.
- Freshness
- Data accumulates new swaths continuously, with maps generally filled within 2 days.
- Geography
- Global coverage.