VIIRS NSST: Global Nighttime Sea Surface Temperature from Suomi-NPP

Near real-time data from the Suomi-NPP satellite's VIIRS instrument provides global nighttime sea surface temperature (NSST) estimates. The dataset includes variables for sea surface temperature in degrees Celsius and associated quality flags. Nighttime observations are used to minimize diurnal warming and sun glint for detecting ocean fronts and supporting climate analyses.

Use Cases

• Detecting ocean fronts based on thermal infrared observations.
• Supporting fisheries habitat models when paired with chlorophyll-a and PAR data.
• Providing stable inputs for air-sea flux and climate trend analyses.
• Monitoring global sea surface temperature patterns in near real-time.

Strengths

• Derived from the VIIRS instrument, which is the successor to MODIS and has 22 spectral bands.
• Nighttime acquisition minimizes errors from diurnal warming and sun glint.
• Data is produced in near real-time, providing a timely snapshot.

Limitations

• Quicklook products use less-than-optimal ancillary data and calibration.
• Uncertainties increase under thin clouds, heavy aerosols, or strong thermal gradients.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and detailed column information are not provided across sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Visible and Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) spacecraft.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to datagov platform entries.

Geography

Global