MODIS Aqua: Global Sea Surface Temperature Nighttime Satellite Data

Global skin sea surface temperature (SST) data derived from nighttime observations by the NASA Aqua satellite's MODIS instrument. The dataset includes 8-day averaged products at a 4-kilometer spatial resolution, generated by the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group and algorithm developers at RSMAS. Aqua was launched on May 4, 2002 and operates in a sun-synchronous orbit.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global ocean warming trends based on 8-day averaged skin SST.
• Studying diurnal SST variability by comparing nighttime SST4 and NSST products.
• Validating climate model outputs using spatially gridded L3 SST data at 4km resolution.
• Analyzing regional thermal anomalies using the modified nonlinear SST algorithm for continuity with heritage sensors.

Strengths

• Provides two distinct SST products: NSST for day/night and SST4 with lower uncertainty for nighttime only.
• Data is available at multiple temporal aggregations: daily, 8-day, monthly, and annual.
• Spatial resolution options include both 4.63 km and 9.26 km grids.
• Algorithm development and quality flagging are handled by a specialized team at RSMAS.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The SST4 product is limited to nighttime use due to sun glint contamination.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG), Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS)

Collection Method

L2 pixels from MODIS Aqua satellite are binned into an integerized sinusoidal area grid and mapped to an equidistant cylindrical projection.

Time Range

Data collection began after Aqua's launch on May 4, 2002; specific temporal coverage is not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:27:02.738684; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage.