Seasonal Sea Surface Temperature Means for Australian Waters from MODIS, 2002-2017

MODIS Derived Sea Surface Temperature dataset: Seasonal Means provides long-term seasonal averages of sea surface temperature (SST) for ocean surface waters. The data is derived from MODIS (Aqua) satellite imagery processed with NASA's SeaDAS software, covering the period from July 2002 to December 2017. This research was supported by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine Biodiversity Hub.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean climate patterns based on seasonal sea surface temperature means.
• Analyzing long-term temperature trends in the Australian EEZ and Southern Ocean based on 15 years of satellite data.
• Studying seasonal variability in marine ecosystems based on derived MODIS imagery.
• Validating regional climate models based on spatially extensive satellite-derived temperature data.

Strengths

• Derived from MODIS (Aqua) satellite imagery, a consistent and calibrated remote sensing source.
• Covers a 15-year time range from July 2002 to December 2017.
• Spatial extent includes the entire Australian Exclusive Economic Zone and surrounding waters, including the Southern Ocean.
• Calculates means for four defined austral seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; the last metadata update is 2026-04-10.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, supported by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine Biodiversity Hub.

Collection Method

Derived from MODIS (Aqua) images using NASA's SeaDAS image processing software.

Time Range

July 2002 to December 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:17:08.694946; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian Exclusive Economic Zone and surrounding waters, including the Southern Ocean.