Multi-scale Ultra-high Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (MUR)
These maps are made mostly from the satellite measurements of Sea Surface Temperature (SST), with help from surface observations that come from ships and bouys. Since the 1980's, there are a lot more SST data from satellites than surface observations.
SST is invaluable for weather forecasting. But SST is also important for management of fishery, ocean acoustic communication, and the science including studies of climate and marine life.
To "blend" the SST data from many different satellite is a tricky business. Satellite-based environmental data are usually irregularly sampled and always noisy. Every satellite has a unique sensor that measures SST. The infra-red (IR) type sensor can offer a very high resolution (down to 1 km in horizontal distance) but suffer from contamination by clouds and aerosols that block the signal. The micro-wave (MW) measurements are more reliable because of cloud-penetrating coverage but are coarser (25 km) in resolution and are not useful along the coasts due to contamination from land.
So we are interested in making use of the best characteristics of each sensor data — be it resolution or coverage — and finding an optimal and objective ways to fill the data-voids under the clouds and near the coasts.
For More Information
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
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Project support
- Eric Sokolowsky (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
- Leann Johnson (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
Datasets used in this visualization
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MUR SST (Multi-scale Ultra-high Resolution (MUR) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Analysis)
ID: 845
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.
Related Pages
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ID: 30486 Hyperwall Visual
Sea Surface Temperature in the Eastern Pacific
Read moreThis animation from Jan 2011 to Dec 2013 shows high resolution sea surface temperature (SST) in the Eastern Pacific off Central America. Clearly visible off the Central American Coast are the cooling events associated with the winds that blow through the mountain gaps in Central America. The cooling events can form cold eddies and domes, such as off the coast of Costa Rica. The MUR SST dataset combines data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) instruments, and currently the NAVY Windsat Satellite. More details of the MUR data set may be found at PO.DAAC. ||
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ID: 30487 Hyperwall Visual
Sea Surface Temperature and the Agulhas Current
Read moreThis animation from Jan 2011 to Dec 2013 shows high resolution sea surface temperature (SST) in the Agulhas Retroflection off South Africa. Clearly visible in the Agulhas animation are the eddies that form as a result of the retroflection of the current. These eddies can shed or spin off the main current and travel into the South Atlantic. The MUR SST dataset combines data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) instruments, and currently the NAVY Windsat Satellite. More details of the MUR data set may be found at PO.DAAC ||
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