MODIS Terra: Global Sea Surface Temperature from Thermal Infrared Nighttime Observations

Global spatially gridded skin sea surface temperature (SST) data from NASA's MODIS instrument on the Terra satellite. The dataset includes annual, monthly, weekly, and daily averages at 9.26 km resolution, derived from nighttime thermal infrared and mid-infrared channels. The data is produced by the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group, with algorithm development led by researchers at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

Use Cases

• Modeling global ocean heat flux and climate patterns based on long-term, spatially gridded skin SST data.
• Validating other satellite or in-situ sea surface temperature products based on the MODIS-derived SST and SST4 measurements.
• Analyzing diurnal and seasonal sea surface temperature variability based on the available daily, 8-day, monthly, and annual averages.
• Studying ocean-atmosphere interactions based on the skin SST product intended for continuity with heritage NASA sensors.

Strengths

• Data is sourced from NASA's MODIS instrument on the Terra satellite, launched in 1999, providing a long-term record.
• Includes a lower-uncertainty SST4 product derived from unique MODIS mid-infrared channels available at night.
• Offers multiple temporal aggregations: daily, weekly (8-day), monthly, and annual averages.
• Provides data at a consistent 9.26 km spatial resolution for global coverage.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The SST4 product, which has lower uncertainty, is only available for nighttime observations due to sun glint constraints.
• Row count and exact file sizes are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra satellite, with pixels binned and mapped into specific projections.

Time Range

Coverage from the Terra satellite launch in December 1999 onward; the dataset version is R2019.0.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:54:59.390840; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.