Mediterranean Sea Daily Sea Surface Temperature Analysis at 2 km Resolution

Daily cloud-free foundation sea surface temperature analysis for the Mediterranean Sea, produced operationally by Ifremer/CERSAT. The dataset merges infrared and microwave observations from multiple satellite sensors, including AVHRR, AATSR, SEVIRI, AMSRE, TMI, and GOES, using optimal interpolation on a 0.02-degree grid. It is a GHRSST Level 4 product supported by the European Commission and supersedes the previous regional analysis.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily sea surface temperature anomalies and trends in the Mediterranean basin using the interpolated foundation SST field.
• Validating regional ocean circulation and heat flux models with a consistent, multi-sensor satellite-derived temperature product.
• Supporting marine ecosystem studies by providing a cloud-free temperature baseline at approximately 2 km resolution.
• Assimilating operational daily SST data into numerical weather prediction and seasonal forecast systems.

Strengths

• Provides daily operational data with a high spatial resolution of approximately 2 km (0.02 degrees).
• Integrates observations from six major satellite sensor systems, using AATSR as a reference for intercalibration.
• Generates a cloud-free analysis field using optimal interpolation, beneficial for consistent time-series analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, specific time range, and license are not provided by any source.
• The dataset's operational start date and historical coverage are unspecified.

Provenance

Source

Ifremer/CERSAT (France), with support from the European Commission (MERSEA project).

Collection Method

Optimal interpolation (OI) of merged microwave and infrared satellite SST observations from AVHRR, AATSR, SEVIRI, AMSRE, TMI, and GOES.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-05 23:32:13.793464

Geography

Mediterranean Sea, on a regional 0.02-degree grid.