Climate.gov Data Snapshots: SST - Sea Surface Temperature

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Version:  View help for Version V2

Name File Type Size Last Modified
  data 06/24/2025 09:56:PM
Climate_gov_ Data Snapshots.pdf application/pdf 25.4 MB 06/18/2025 05:54:PM
SST - Sea Surface Temperature _ NOAA Climate.gov.pdf application/pdf 1.5 MB 06/18/2025 05:54:PM

Project Citation: 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Climate.gov Data Snapshots: SST - Sea Surface Temperature. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-06-24. https://doi.org/10.3886/E233444V2

Project Description

Project Title:  View help for Project Title Climate.gov Data Snapshots: SST - Sea Surface Temperature
Summary:  View help for Summary
Q: What's the temperature of water at the ocean's surface?

A: Colors on the map show the temperature of water right at the ocean’s surface. The darkest blue shows the coldest water: floating sea ice is usually present in these areas. Lighter shades of blue show temperatures of up to 80°F. White and orange areas show where surface temperatures are higher than 80°F, warm enough to fuel tropical cyclones or hurricanes.

Q: Where do these measurements come from?

A: Satellite instruments measure sea surface temperature—often abbreviated as SST—by checking how much energy comes off the ocean at different wavelengths. Computer programs merge sea surface temperatures from ships and buoys with the satellite data, and incorporate information from maps of sea ice. To produce the daily maps, programs invoke mathematical filters to combine and smooth data from all three sources.

Q: What do the colors mean?

A: The darkest blue areas show sea surface temperatures as low as 28°F. Sea ice, which can look like anything from a slushy mix of floating ice crystals to a solid surface of white, is usually present in these areas. Progressively lighter shades of blue show increasingly warmer temperatures, up to 80°F. White and orange areas on the map show where the surface temperature is above 80°F. Tropical storms that cross these areas can strengthen to form cyclones and hurricanes.

Q: Why do these data matter?

A: While heat energy is stored and mixed throughout the depth of the ocean, the temperature of water right at the sea's surface—where the ocean is in direct contact with the atmosphere—plays a significant role in weather and short-term climate. Where sea surface temperatures are high, relatively large amounts of heat energy and moisture enter the atmosphere, sometimes producing powerful, drenching storms downwind. Conversely, lower sea surface temperatures mean less evaporation. Global patterns of sea surface temperatures are an important factor for weather forecasts and climate outlooks.

Q: How did you produce these snapshots?

A: Data Snapshots are derivatives of existing data products: to meet the needs of a broad audience, we present the source data in a simplified visual style. NOAA's Climate Data Records Program produces the Opitimum Interpolated Sea Surface Temperature files. To produce our images, we run a set of scripts that access the source files, re-project them into desired projections at various sizes, and output them with a custom color bar.

Additional information
Various scientific groups have produced datasets showing Sea Surface Temperature. The images in Data Snapshots represent the AVHRR-only 1/4° daily OISST dataset. Data snapshots presents just one daily OISST image every seven days



This upload includes two additional files:
* SST - Sea Surface Temperature _NOAA Climate.gov.pdf is a screenshot of the main Climate.gov site for these snapshots (https://www.climate.gov/maps-data/data-snapshots/data-source/sst-sea-surface-temperature)
* Cimate_gov_ Data Snapshots.pdf is a screenshot of the data download page for the full-resolution files.


Original Distribution URL:  View help for Original Distribution URL https://www.climate.gov/data/Ocean--Daily--Sea-Surface-Temperature--Global/

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms climate; climate change; sea temperature; temperature; ocean
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage Global
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 2000 – 2025 (Daily images, one per week, from 2000 to present)
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) images: photographs, drawings, graphical representations
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes Data is divided in to folders by image resolution -- full size (zip), kml (zip), broadcast (png), small (png), and large (png). Occasionally there may be one image missing in a particular size but available in another size.

Data downloaded from climate.gov 6/15/2025 - 6/18/2025 (large and full resolution) and 6/22/2025 (others).


Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V2 [2025-06-24]

V1 [2025-06-21]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as it arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the investigator(s) if further information is desired.