Last Updated
10 June 2022
Published on
27 July 2018
Sea Surface Temperature services
The dual view, nine-channel Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) measures sea surface temperature, land surface temperature, sea-ice and land ice temperature, atmospheric aerosols, cloud properties and fire radiative power.
SLSTR continues the sea surface temperature record collected by the (A)ATSR instruments on ERS and Envisat satellites.
The aim is to collect highly accurate measurements to provide a reference dataset for other sea surface temperature missions on other satellites.
Sea surface temperature data is used as input for weather and ocean forecasting, to observe and monitor ocean current systems and ocean fronts, eddies, upwelling areas, marine ecosystems and the development of large scale El Niño/La Niña events.
Because of the importance of sea surface temperature to the global heat budget it is monitored as an essential climate variable (ECV).
These data are also used to improve understanding of the ocean surface layer, upper ocean variability, energy transfer, air-sea interactions and the impact of changes in the temperature of the ocean surface over the course of the day and changes between the temperature at the ocean surface and the depths below.
SST data is also used to help manage marine ecosystems, e.g. identifying frontal areas with large shoals of fish or monitoring coral bleaching events, and for travel and tourism.
The products are available in:
- Near-Real-Time (NRT): products shall be available to the users within three hours after sensing.
- Non-Time-Critical (NTC): products available to the users within one month after sensing.
