Suomi-NPP VIIRS: Global Daytime Sea Surface Temperature (SST) - Near Real-Time

Near real-time global sea surface temperature data provides a snapshot from a single satellite orbit. The Ocean Biology DAAC produces this product using the best-available ancillary meteorological and ozone data, though the calibration is less than optimal. SST is derived primarily from thermal infrared observations during daytime and is used to detect ocean fronts and monitor marine heatwaves.

Use Cases

• Detect ocean fronts and eddies based on sea surface temperature gradients.
• Monitor marine heatwaves and thermal anomalies based on SST time series.
• Drive ecosystem and habitat models when paired with other ocean color variables like chlor_a and PAR.
• Provide boundary conditions for biogeochemical and climate model analyses based on global SST fields.

Strengths

• Provides near real-time data, offering a timely snapshot of ocean conditions.
• Includes a quality flag (qual_sst) to help users assess data reliability.
• Covers a global spatial domain, enabling worldwide ocean analysis.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• IR-based SST is sensitive to clouds, aerosols, and diurnal warming, which can affect accuracy.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Ocean Biology DAAC (OB_DAAC) via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Derived from Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite thermal infrared observations.

Freshness

Near real-time (NRT)

Geography

Global