Terra MODIS NSST: Nighttime Sea Surface Temperature

NASA's Ocean Biology DAAC produces Terra MODIS Level-3 Global Mapped 11µm Nighttime Sea Surface Temperature (NSST) data in near real-time. This dataset provides a global snapshot of sea surface temperature derived from thermal infrared observations, intended for quicklook analysis. The geophysical variables include sea surface temperature in degrees Celsius and an integer quality flag.

Use Cases

• Monitoring marine heatwaves based on global sea surface temperature maps.
• Detecting ocean fronts and eddies based on thermal infrared observations.
• Driving ecosystem and habitat models when paired with chlorophyll-a and other ocean color data.
• Providing boundary conditions for biogeochemical and climate model analyses.

Strengths

• Produced by NASA's Ocean Biology DAAC, indicating authoritative provenance.
• Available in near real-time, providing timely data for monitoring applications.
• Cross-platform presence on datagov and nasa_earthdata signals established importance.

Limitations

• Near real-time products use sub-optimal inputs and calibration, as explicitly stated in descriptions.
• IR-based sea surface temperature is sensitive to clouds, aerosols, and diurnal warming.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific license details are missing or conflict between sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Ocean Biology DAAC.

Collection Method

Derived from Terra MODIS satellite thermal infrared observations.

Freshness

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

Geography

Global.