GSSTFM_NCEP: Monthly Global Satellite Surface Fluxes on a 1x1 Degree Grid

Monthly global surface turbulent flux data derived from satellite and reanalysis sources. The dataset is projected onto an equidistant grid with 1x1 degree cells, resulting in global arrays of 360x180 size. This Version-2c product was produced by a NASA MEaSURES project led by Dr. Chung-Lin Shie and incorporates inputs like SSM/I V6 brightness temperature and NCEP/DOE Reanalysis-2 variables.

Use Cases

• Modeling global ocean evaporation rates based on sea skin temperature and wind speed inputs.
• Analyzing atmospheric water vapor patterns based on total precipitable water data.
• Studying ocean heat budget and wind stress using surface turbulent flux estimates.
• Validating climate models against satellite-derived surface flux data on a consistent global grid.

Strengths

• Data is on a consistent global 1x1 degree grid (360x180 arrays), facilitating spatial analysis.
• Incorporates upgraded input datasets, including SSM/I Version-6 and NCEP/DOE Reanalysis-2 products.
• Part of a NASA MEaSURES project, indicating a stewardship and quality assurance framework.

Limitations

• A finer 0.25-degree resolution version (Version 3) exists, making this a coarser alternative.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific analytical needs.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite-based surface turbulent fluxes derived from SSM/I and NCEP/DOE Reanalysis-2 inputs, converted to HDF-EOS5 format.

Time Range

Monthly product; specific temporal coverage is not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:22:37.411085; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage.