SLSTR A Spot

Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR)

 

SLSTR A Spot
SLSTR A Spot

The Sentinel-3 Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) continues and improves sea surface temperature records, as well as providing new atmosphere related products.

Last Updated

16 February 2023

Published on

30 June 2020

SLSTR instrument overview. Credit: ESA

SLSTR aims is to collect highly accurate measurements to provide a reference dataset for other sea surface temperature (SST) missions on other satellites.

The dual view, nine-channel SLSTR has a resolution of 500m in the visible and shortwave infrared and 1km in the thermal infrared and include two channels optimised for fire monitoring. It has a wide swath of 1400km in the nadir view and 740km in the dual view.

As well as monitoring SST, the instrument also monitors sea and land ice temperature, atmospheric aerosols and cloud properties and fires (both over land and for ocean gas flares).

Main characteristics

  • Swath width: dual view scan, 1420km (nadir)/750km (backwards).
  • Spatial sampling: 500m (VIS, SWIR), 1km (MWIR, TIR).
  • Spectrum: nine bands [0.55-12]µm.
  • Noise equivalent dT: 50mK (TIR) at 270K.
  • Launch mass: 90kg.
  • Size: 2.116m3.
  • Design lifetime: 7.5 years.

For further information visit the Sea Surface Temperature knowledge base.

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