IMOS SST: Single-Sensor Monthly Sea Surface Temperature Maps for Australia

A one-month average sea surface temperature product derived from NOAA AVHRR satellite observations. The Australian Ocean Data Network produced this single-sensor SSTfnd product, which ceased production in June 2025 due to satellite decommissioning. It provides a 0.02-degree resolution map covering 70°E to 170°W and 20°N to 70°S, with 2014 validation showing biases under 0.03°C.

Use Cases

• Modeling regional ocean heat content based on monthly average SST maps.
• Validating multi-sensor satellite SST products based on the described single-sensor baseline.
• Analyzing long-term SST trends for the Australian region based on the gridded, area-weighted averages.
• Calibrating in-situ buoy measurements based on the described matchup validation methodology.

Strengths

• Product validation for 2014 indicates a typical bias of less than 0.03 degrees Celsius.
• Spatial resolution is 0.02 degrees by 0.02 degrees over a large region spanning 70°E to 170°W and 20°N to 70°S.
• Data processing includes quality control, rejecting observations with low surface wind speeds as specified.

Limitations

• Production of this single-sensor product ceased in June 2025, limiting temporal coverage.
• 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 AVHRR instruments on NOAA polar-orbiting satellites, processed into monthly average SSTfnd values.

Time Range

Covers one-month periods; product series ended June 2025.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 15:51:11.660925; freshness should be verified

Geography

70°E to 170°W, 20°N to 70°S (region encompassing Australia)