CoastWatch WCRN Dataset Summary

		Dataset Summary
West Coast Regional Node

Global Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly from the Advanced Very-High Resolution Radiometer

Program: NOAA Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Spacecraft
Spacecraft: Various
Sensor: Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)
Data Stream: Recorder Global Area Coverage (GAC)
Primary Geophysical Parameter: Sea surface temperature (SST) Anomaly
Nominal Accuracy: AVHRR GAC SST is accurate to ±0.5 degrees Celsius (C)
Spatial grid: 0.1 degrees longitude by 0.1 degrees latitude, geographic
Spatial coverage: Global
Temporal Coverage: Last 60 days + (depending on storage space)
FGDC Metadata Data Quality Act Documentation

Short Description:
The SST anomaly product is used to show the difference between the surface temperature at a given time and the temperature that is normal for that time of year. This effectively filters out seasonal cycles and allows one to view intra-seasonal and inter-annual signals in the data. The global SST anomaly product is produced by comparing the AVHRR GAC SST with a climatology by Casey and Cornillon, 1999, for the region and time period specified. The AVHRR GAC SST is a high quality data set provided by NOAA | NESDIS | OSDPD.

Technical Summary:
SST anomaly data are distributed at 11km resolution. AVHRR GAC SST values are accurate to within plus or minus 0.5 degrees Celsius. The time-averaged SST from AVHRR GAC is compared to the climatological SST from Casey and Cornillon, 1999, for the specific time period and region. The data are mapped to an equal angle grid of 0.1 degrees latitude by 0.1 degrees longitude using a simple arithmetic mean to produce composite images of various duration (e.g., 1, 3, 8, 14-day).

Disclaimer:
Despite our best efforts, incorrect data may often appear within near real time data sets. NOAA CoastWatch accepts no liability for use of these data products. It is recommended that these products NOT be used for navigation.

Acknowledgement:
If this data is used in presentation or publication, please acknowledge the NOAA CoastWatch Program and the NOAA NESDIS Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution.

References and suggested citations:
Casey, K.S. and P. Cornillon. 1999. A comparison of satellite and in situ based sea surface temperature climatologies. J. Climate. Vol. 12, no. 6, 1848-1863.

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