IMOS Multi-Sensor Sea Surface Temperature, 6-Day Composite for Australia Region

A 144-hour average sea surface temperature product derived from VIIRS and AVHRR satellite sensors. The data is provided as a 0.02-degree resolution grid covering the region from 70E to 170W and 20N to 70S. This dataset is produced by the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean heat content based on multi-sensor satellite-derived sea surface temperature.
• Analyzing regional temperature anomalies based on 6-day composite data for the Australia region.
• Validating ocean circulation models based on quality-controlled, multi-platform satellite observations.

Strengths

• Data is derived from multiple satellite sensors (VIIRS and AVHRR) on platforms including Suomi-NPP, JPSS, NOAA, and Metop.
• Spatial resolution is 0.02 degrees, providing detailed coverage for the specified region.
• Quality levels are remapped using Sensor Specific Error Statistics (SSES) as described in Griffin et al. (2017).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specified Australia-centric region.

Provenance

Source

Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) via Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Derived from sea surface temperature retrievals from VIIRS and AVHRR sensors on polar-orbiting satellites, composited over a 144-hour period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 13:21:18.775115; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers the region 70E to 170W, 20N to 70S (Australia and surrounding waters).