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Description
Terra MODIS Level-2 Regional 11µm Daytime Sea Surface Temperature (SST) - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version R2019.0, is produced by the Ocean Biology DAAC (OB_DAAC). It provides global sea surface temperature derived primarily from thermal infrared observations during daytime, with data acquired every 1 to 2 days. The dataset includes geophysical variables for SST, bias, flags, quality levels, and standard deviation.
Use Cases
Detecting ocean fronts and eddies based on SST gradients.
Monitoring marine heatwaves using the SST variable.
Driving ecosystem and habitat models by pairing SST with chlorophyll-a (chlor_a), diffuse attenuation (Kd_490), and PAR data.
Providing boundary conditions for biogeochemical and climate analyses.
Analyzing diurnal warming effects by pairing with nighttime SST (NSST) and using per-file flags.
Strengths
Provides near real-time (NRT) data, offering a snapshot within a single orbit.
Includes multiple quality and flag variables (bias_sst, flags_sst, l2_flags, qual_sst, stdv_sst) for detailed analysis.
Data is acquired globally every 1 to 2 days by the Terra MODIS instrument.
Limitations
NRT products use less-than-optimal ancillary data and calibration, as stated by the source.
IR-based SST is sensitive to clouds, aerosols, and diurnal warming, requiring careful interpretation.
Metadata completeness is low; specific row counts, file sizes, and author details are unavailable.
Provenance
Source
Ocean Biology DAAC (OB_DAAC), using the Terra MODIS satellite instrument.
Collection Method
Satellite remote sensing via thermal infrared observations.
Freshness
2026-04-09 21:49:22.679619
Geography
Global
License is listed as 'other-license-specified' on multiple platforms. Users should refer to per-file flags before analysis and pair with NSST for minimum diurnal effects.