IMOS SST: Single-Sensor Daily Sea Surface Temperature for the Southern Ocean

A 24-hour average sea surface temperature (SST) product for the Southern Ocean region from 3°E to 158°W and 27°S to 78°S. The data is derived from AVHRR instruments on NOAA polar-orbiting satellites, gridded at 0.02-degree resolution, and produced by the Australian Ocean Data Network. Production of this specific single-sensor product ceased in June 2025.

Use Cases

• Calibrating ocean models based on daily, high-resolution SST maps.
• Analyzing regional temperature anomalies based on satellite-derived SST data.
• Studying diurnal warming cycles based on day and night time observations with different wind speed filters.
• Validating multi-sensor SST products based on historical single-sensor data.

Strengths

• Data is derived from AVHRR instruments on all available NOAA polar-orbiting satellites.
• Grid resolution is 0.02 degrees by 0.02 degrees.
• Matchups with buoy observations indicated typical 2014 biases of < 0.01°C and standard deviations of 0.6°C.
• Covers the Southern Ocean region from 3°E to 158°W and 27°S to 78°S.

Limitations

• Production of this single-sensor product ceased in June 2025; data is not current.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Derived from observations by AVHRR instruments on NOAA polar-orbiting satellites, processed into a 24-hour average, gridded product.

Time Range

Covers historical periods up to June 2025.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 19:46:59.985607; freshness should be verified as data production ended in June 2025.

Geography

Southern Ocean region from 3°E to 158°W and 27°S to 78°S.