A long-term record of blended satellite and in situ sea-surface temperature for climate monitoring, modeling and environmental studies

• Published in: Earth system science data Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 165 - 176
• Main Authors: Banzon, Viva, Smith, Thomas M., Chin, Toshio Mike, Liu, Chunying, Hankins, William
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 28.04.2016; Copernicus Publications
• Subjects: Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer; Aerosols; Atmospheric models; Bias; Buoys; Climate; Climate models; Climate monitoring; Climatic data; Datasets; Environment models; Environmental information; Environmental monitoring; Environmental studies; High resolution; Interpolation; Metadata; Modelling; Ocean temperature; Production scheduling; Radiometers; Remote sensing; Satellite observation; Satellites; Schedules; Sea surface; Sea surface temperature; Ships; Surface temperature; Volcanic aerosols
• ISSN: 1866-3516; 1866-3508; 1866-3516
• DOI: 10.5194/essd-8-165-2016

This paper describes a blended sea-surface temperature (SST) data set that is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Data Record (CDR) program product suite. Using optimum interpolation (OI), in situ and satellite observations are combined on a daily and 0.25° spatial grid to form an SST analysis, i.e., a spatially complete field. A large-scale bias adjustment of the input infrared SSTs is made using buoy and ship observations as a reference. This is particularly important for the time periods when volcanic aerosols from the El Chichón and Mt. Pinatubo eruptions are widespread globally. The main source of SSTs is the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), available from late 1981 to the present, which is also the temporal span of this CDR. The input and processing choices made to ensure a consistent data set that meets the CDR requirements are summarized. A brief history and an explanation of the forward production schedule for the preliminary and science-quality final product are also provided. The data set is produced and archived at the newly formed National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) in Network Common Data Form (netCDF) at doi:10.7289/V5SQ8XB5.