NOAA-20 VIIRS SST3: Near Real-Time Global Sea Surface Temperature Maps

NOAA-20 VIIRS satellite provides near real-time global sea surface temperature maps. The Ocean Biology DAAC produces these quicklook products using the best-available ancillary meteorological and ozone data. These data provide a snapshot of ocean conditions within a single orbit, though inputs and calibration are less than optimal.

Use Cases

• Monitor near real-time ocean thermal anomalies based on the quicklook product nature.
• Assimilate satellite-derived sea surface temperature into weather and ocean forecast models based on the global mapped data.
• Study short-term, orbit-scale temperature variability based on the single-orbit snapshot data.

Strengths

• Data is produced in near real-time, offering timely snapshots.
• Provides global spatial coverage of sea surface temperature.
• Produced by NASA's Ocean Biology DAAC, an authoritative source for oceanographic data.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Quicklook products use less-than-optimal inputs and calibration, as noted in the description.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the NOAA-20 VIIRS instrument, processed by the Ocean Biology DAAC.

Time Range

Near real-time, with data snapshots from single orbits.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:14:34.964210; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global