Reynolds-Smith V2: Global Monthly Average Sea Surface Temperatures

A weekly, one-degree gridded optimum interpolation (OI) sea surface temperature (SST) analysis produced from late 1981 onward, known as OI.v2. The dataset is a subset of the original REYNOLDS_SST record, created for the Australian Government Antarctic Division, and uses in situ, satellite, and sea-ice-simulated SST data. It was reanalyzed in November 2001 to improve high-latitude accuracy and extend ship data coverage through 1997.

Use Cases

• Modeling global climate patterns based on weekly, one-degree gridded sea surface temperature data.
• Analyzing long-term ocean temperature trends from the late 1981 onward time series.
• Correcting satellite data biases for large-scale accuracy using the Reynolds (1988) and Reynolds and Marsico (1993) methods.
• Studying high-latitude ocean conditions based on improved SST simulation from sea ice data.

Strengths

• Uses a one-degree spatial grid for consistent global coverage.
• Incorporates multiple data sources: in situ, satellite, and sea-ice-simulated SSTs.
• Includes a historical reanalysis (OI.v2) from late 1981 onward with improved high-latitude accuracy.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The original 'Reynolds SST' datasets were discontinued in April 2003, indicating this is a historical snapshot.

Provenance

Source

National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), referenced via the Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) and the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD).

Collection Method

Optimum interpolation (OI) analysis of in situ, satellite, and sea-ice-simulated sea surface temperature data.

Time Range

Late 1981 onward (with weekly analysis).

Geography

Global coverage on a one-degree grid.