NOAA OceanWatch Monitor (OM)

OceanWatch OM Summary

NOAA STAR SOCD Enterprise OceanWatch Monitor (OM)

The OceanWatch Monitor (OM) provides a first look at the performances of products ingested in the OceanWatch systems. These remotely sensed products include: Ocean Color (OC), Sea Surface Height (SSH), Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) and Sea Surface Wind (SSW).

Sea Surface Temperature

Using satellites to observe the temperature of seawater near the surface of the ocean is probably the most mature application of ocean remote sensing. Observations are made with IR, which cannot "see" through clouds and with passive microwave which is not affected by clouds but has other trade-offs. SST sensors are aboard both polar-orbiting satellites and geostationary satellites.

Latest SST (click on image to enlarge). View more maps.

Sea Surface Temperature, Night, Global Oceans

Near-real time monitoring of satellite SSTs in last 60 days. View more time-series.

Ocean Color

Radiation from the ocean surface of light in the visible wavelengths gives information about the color of the ocean. This "ocean color" (radiances) can be used to estimate chlorophyll concentration (the pigment in plants and phytoplankton responsible for photosynthesis and the dominant source of color in the open ocean) or the coefficients of light attenuation through the water column and other parameters (generally related to biological processes). In coastal areas, other biological compounds and minerals add complexity to interpretation. Clouds will block remotely sensed OC.

Latest OC (click on image to enlarge). View more maps.

Ocean Color Chlorophyll-a, Day, Science Quality, Global Oceans

Near-real time monitoring of satellite OC for recent 90 days. View more time-series.

Sea Surface Height (Sea Level Anomaly)

Satellite altimeters use active radar to observe the surface height of the ocean which is not smooth or flat. Fluid hills and valleys deviate from a reference height (i.e., a mean sea surface). These vertical gradients are of interest for sea level rise, storm predictions, ocean currents, ecosystem ecology and other applications.

Latest SSH (click on image to enlarge). View more maps.

Sea Level Anomaly (SLA) wrt. long-term mean surface, Global Oceans

Near-real time monitoring of satellite SSH in last 90 days. View more time-series.

Sea Surface Salinity

The salinity of seawater at the ocean surface can be remotely sensed using microwave frequencies. Currently, this technique is valid for open ocean measurements, while recognizing decreased sensitivity for colder water. Measurements within approximately 50 km of land are biased by land contamination and less accurate. Salinity is a defining parameter for ocean dynamics and can also serve as a proxy for certain biogeochemical processes.

Latest SSS (click on image to enlarge). View more maps.

Sea Surface Salinity (SSS), Global Oceans

Near-real time monitoring of satellite SSS in last 50 days. View more time-series.

Sea Surface Wind (Ocean Surface Vector Wind)

Winds, both magnitude and direction, over the ocean drive other physical and chemical processes and therefore are used to model dynamic earth/ocean/atmosphere coupled systems ocean and are used for marine weather forecasting. Different remote sensing techniques may be used for gathering information on ocean surface winds including active radar and passive microwave.

Latest SSW (click on image to enlarge). View more maps.

Sea Surface Wind, Metop-A/B Ascending node, Global Oceans

Near-real time monitoring of satellite SSWs in last 90 days. View more time-series.

Reference data for OC and the match-up procedure

Reference OC	Resolution	Time coverage	Inputs	Further info
CMEMS/ACRI Global Ocean Chlorophyll (Copernicus-GlobColour) from Satellite Observations
CMEMS CHL_L4_NRT_OBSERVATIONS_009_033	0.04° uniform, Daily updated L4 (weekly-mean monthly-mean) 90°S to 90°N	01-Jul-2018 on	Optimally Interpolated Chlorophyll from SeaWiFS, MODIS-Aqua, MERIS, VIIRS and OLCI-S3A	Link Data Doc1 Doc2 Service Desk
European Space Agency, Climate Change Initiative (CCI), Plymouth Marine Laboratory
ESA CCI L3S Chl-a, PML	0.04° uniform, Daily L3S 90°S to 90°N	04-Apr-1997 to 28-Oct-2018	Merged Chlorophyll from SeaWiFS, MODIS, MERIS, VIIRS	ESA CCI Link FTP Info/Citation
AQUA MODIS Chl OCx Monthly Climatology Monthly Climate
GSFC Climate	4km 90°S to 90°N	Averaged over 2003 to 2017	AQUA-MODIS OCx algo output.	Link Contact DATA: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
In situ OC data match-ups: TBD
{NAME}	Point, 1min	DD-MON-YYYY on	Drifters; Moored buoys; Argo floats	Link FTP Documentation Contact
Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

Reference data for SSH and the match-up procedure

Reference SSH	Resolution	Time coverage	Inputs	Further info
Level-4: CMEMS NRT Blended Satellite
CMEMS PHY_008_046	0.25° uniform, Daily L4 90°S to 90°N	07-Jan-2017 on	Optimally Interpolated All Altimeter Missions: Jason-3, Sentinel-3A, HY-2A, Saral/AltiKa, Cryosat-2, Jason-2, Jason-1, T/P, ENVISAT, GFO, ERS1/2	Link Data Doc1 Doc2 Service Desk
Model: CMEMS/UKMO Global weakly coupled updated Daily
PHYS_001_015	1/4° uniform, Daily 83°S to 89.75°N	18-Mar-2014 on	In-Situ TS Profiles, Sea Level, SST, Sea Ice Concentration and/or Thickness. 3D-Var model	FTP Info Contact
Climate: AVISO Monthly
AVISO Climate	1/4° uniform 90°S to 90°N	Averaged over January 1993 - on	Ssalto/Duacs system processes data from all altimeter missions (Saral, Cryosat-2, Jason-1&2, T/P, Envisat, GFO, ERS-1 and ERS-2 and Geosat).	Link DATA Contact Product Handbook
In situ SSH data match-ups: TBD
{NAME}	Point, 1min	DD-MON-YYYY on	Drifters; Moored buoys; Argo floats	Link FTP Documentation Contact
Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

Reference data for SSS and the match-up procedure

Reference SSS	Resolution	Time coverage	Inputs	Further info
HYCOM GLBu0.08 expt 91.2 Hind-cast (SSS, along with SSH)
HYCOM GLBu0.08	1/12° uniform, Daily 80.48°S to 80.48°N	18-Apr-2016 on	Sat altimeter, in situ SST, vertical T and Salinity from Expendable bathythermograph (XBT), Argo floats and moored buoys. 3D-Var Ocean Model;	Link FTP Publication Contact
Model: CMEMS/UKMO Global weakly coupled updated Daily
PHYS_001_015	1/4° uniform, Daily 83°S to 89.75°N	01-01-2016 on	In-Situ TS Profiles, Sea Level, SST, Sea Ice Concentration and/or Thickness. 3D-Var model	FTP Info Contact
WOA 2013 Monthly Climate
WOA 2013	1/4° uniform 90°S to 90°N	Averaged over 1955-2012	bottle samples, ship-deployed Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) sensors, profiling floats, moored and drifting buoys, gliders, and undulating oceanographic recorder (UOR) profiles.	Link THREDDS Publication Contact
In situ SSS data match-ups: TBD
{NAME}	Point, 1min	DD-MON-YYYY on	Drifters; Moored buoys; Argo floats	Link FTP Documentation Contact
Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

Reference data for SSW and the match-up procedure

Reference SSS	Resolution	Time coverage	Inputs	Further info
NOAA NCDC Blended Level-4 Sea Winds (NRT)
NCDC L4	0.25° uniform, 6h & 24h daily 89.75°S to 89.75°N	9-July-1987 on	Multiple satellite observations: DMSP SSMI F08, F10, F11, F13,F14 F15; TMI; QuikSCAT; AMSR-E Direction: NCEP (research); ECMWF NWP (NRT)	Link FTP OpenDAP/THREDDS Publication 1 Publication 2 Contact
Model: CMEMS/IFREMER Blended Level-4 Sea Winds (NRT) CMEMS upcoming changes & impact, Notification date: 7-Mar-2019
012_004	0.25° uniform, 6h daily 80°S to 80.°N	01-01-2015 on	Metop-A/B ASCAT, OceanSat2 OSCAT	Link FTP Info Contact
NCDC 2013 Monthly Climate
NCDC Climate	1/4° uniform 90°S to 90°N	Averaged over 1995-2005 (released September, 2006)	Multiple satellites: DMSP SSMI F08, F10, F11, F13,F14 F15; TMI; QuikSCAT; AMSR-E; Direction: from NCEP Reanalysis-2.	Link FTP OpenDAP/THREDDS Contact
In situ SSW data match-ups: TBD
{NAME}	Point, 1min	DD-MON-YYYY on	Drifters; Moored buoys; Argo floats	Link FTP Documentation Contact
Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

Valid Frac Mean StdDev	Num Median Robust SD
+ View more parameters
Minimum Maximum Skewness -ve Outlier	0.01 % 99.99 % Kurtosis +ve Outlier

Satellite SST	Resolution	Production	Cloud & Quality Flags	Document, Data Access & Contact
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board both Suomi-NPP (SNPP) and JPSS-1/NOAA-20 (N20) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) , Sun-synchronous, EXT=1330/0130h (Asc/Des), r=824km, i=98.79°. NPP & N20 are separated in time and space by 50 min.
NPP VIIRS NOAA-20 VIIRS (L2P and L3U)	Daily Equal-grid 0.02° (L3) 0.75 km (~1.5km @swath edge) L2P	NOAA CW VIIRS (L3U from L2P files)	Release note QF (4:acceptable 5:excellent) and ACSPO clear-sky mask (ACSM)	FTP Contact
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), broadband radiometer Metop-A (2006), Metop-B (2012), Metop-C (2018) EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) Sun-sync near-polar, EXT=0930/2130h (Asc/Des), r=817km, i=98.7°, A/B in same orbital plane about 180° apart
Metop-A Metop-B (L2P and L3U)	Daily Equal-grid 0.02° (L3) ~1km (~6 km @swath edge) L2P	NOAA CW AVHRR FRAC (L3U from L2P files)	Release note QF (4:acceptable 5:excellent) and ACSPO clear-sky mask (ACSM)	FTP Contact

Satellite OC	Resolution	Production	Cloud & Quality Flags	Data Access & Contact
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board both Suomi-NPP (SNPP) and JPSS-1/NOAA-20 (N20) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) , Sun-synchronous, EXT=1330/0130h (Asc/Des), r=824km, i=98.79°. NPP & N20 are separated in time and space by 50 min.
NPP VIIRS (L3) Non Time Critical (NTC) 15d delay Science Quality	Daily Equal-grid 4 km (L3) 0.75km (~1.5 km @swath edge) L2	NOAA CW VIIRS (4km from 2km)	ATBD QA info: -NA-	L3 FTP THREDDS Contact
NPP and N20 VIIRS merged with Data INterpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions (DINEOF) algorithm. DINEOF reference reading
DINEOF Gapfilled VIIRS (L3) Non Time Critical (NTC) 10d delay Science Quality	Daily Equal-grid ~9 km (L3) 0.75km (~1.5 km @swath edge) L2	CW DINEOF VIIRS (~9km )	QA info: -NA-	L3 FTP THREDDS Contact

OI L3 SSH	Nadir FOV	Production (by provider)	Quality Flags	Document, Data Access & Contact
Optimally Interpolated L3 from various altimetry data from the NOAA/EUMETSAT/TUDelft Radar Altimeter Database System (RADS) Performed by the NOAA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry's (LSA) sea surface height team
OI (L3) Inputs: Jason-2/3; Sentinel-3A; CryoSat-2; SARAL	Daily Equal-grid 0.25° L3	NOAA CW OI L3 SSHA	NA	L3 FTP (NOAA STAR) Contact

Satellite SSS	Resolution	Production	Cloud & Quality Flags	Document, Data Access & Contact
Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP), a radar (active) and a radiometer (passive) Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP), NASA JPL/GSFC Mission , Sun-sync near-polar, EXT=0600/1800h (Des/Asc), r=685km, i=98.12°
SMAP SMAP (L2 and L3)	Daily Equal-grid 0.25° L3	NOAA L3 SMAP SSS identified data-gaps	NA	Contact
Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), ESA Mission , Sun-synchronous, EXT=0600/1800h ±15min (Asc/Des), r=755km, i=98.44°
SMOS MIRAS (L2 and L3)	Daily Equal-grid 0.25° L3	NOAA CW SMOS MIRAS	Release note (ESA,10 May 2017) ATBD (ESA,29 Apr 2016) QLI unavailable in L3 file?? e.g., 3:suspect 4:acceptable 5:excellent	L2 FTP (ESA) HTTP Product manual Contact ESA Contact

OceanWatch OM Summary

Sea Surface Temperature, Night, Global Oceans

Ocean Color Chlorophyll-a, Day, Science Quality, Global Oceans

Sea Level Anomaly (SLA) wrt. long-term mean surface, Global Oceans

Sea Surface Salinity (SSS), Global Oceans

Sea Surface Wind, Metop-A/B Ascending node, Global Oceans

Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board both Suomi-NPP (SNPP) and JPSS-1/NOAA-20 (N20)
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) , Sun-synchronous, EXT=1330/0130h (Asc/Des), r=824km, i=98.79°. NPP & N20 are separated in time and space by 50 min.

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), broadband radiometer Metop-A (2006), Metop-B (2012), Metop-C (2018) EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS)
Sun-sync near-polar, EXT=0930/2130h (Asc/Des), r=817km, i=98.7°, A/B in same orbital plane about 180° apart

Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board both Suomi-NPP (SNPP) and JPSS-1/NOAA-20 (N20)
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) , Sun-synchronous, EXT=1330/0130h (Asc/Des), r=824km, i=98.79°. NPP & N20 are separated in time and space by 50 min.

NPP and N20 VIIRS merged with Data INterpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions (DINEOF) algorithm. DINEOF reference reading

Optimally Interpolated L3 from various altimetry data from the NOAA/EUMETSAT/TUDelft Radar Altimeter Database System (RADS)
Performed by the NOAA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry's (LSA) sea surface height team

Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP), a radar (active) and a radiometer (passive)
Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP), NASA JPL/GSFC Mission , Sun-sync near-polar, EXT=0600/1800h (Des/Asc), r=685km, i=98.12°

Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS)
Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), ESA Mission , Sun-synchronous, EXT=0600/1800h ±15min (Asc/Des), r=755km, i=98.44°

Advanced SCATterometer (ASCAT), real aperture radar, operating at C-band Metop-A (2006), Metop-B (2012), Metop-C (2018) EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS)
Sun-sync near-polar, EXT=0930/2130h (Asc/Des), r=817km, i=98.7°, A/B in same orbital plane about 180° apart

Canadian Meteorological Centre 0.1 deg L4 SST (CMC)

UK MetOffice Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis (OSTIA)

In situ SST data match-ups: TBD

Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

CMEMS/ACRI Global Ocean Chlorophyll (Copernicus-GlobColour) from Satellite Observations

European Space Agency, Climate Change Initiative (CCI), Plymouth Marine Laboratory

AQUA MODIS Chl OCx Monthly Climatology Monthly Climate

In situ OC data match-ups: TBD

Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

Level-4: CMEMS NRT Blended Satellite

Model: CMEMS/UKMO Global weakly coupled updated Daily

Climate: AVISO Monthly

In situ SSH data match-ups: TBD

Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

HYCOM GLBu0.08 expt 91.2 Hind-cast (SSS, along with SSH)

Model: CMEMS/UKMO Global weakly coupled updated Daily

WOA 2013 Monthly Climate

In situ SSS data match-ups: TBD

Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

NOAA NCDC Blended Level-4 Sea Winds (NRT)

Model: CMEMS/IFREMER Blended Level-4 Sea Winds (NRT)

NCDC 2013 Monthly Climate

In situ SSW data match-ups: TBD

Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

The RoIs are the same across all the thematic products and the monitor is designed to provide various information for the given RoIs. The list may be updated as per the needs of the CoastWatch/OceanWatch users.

Satellite L3 SSW	Nadir FOV	Production (by provider)	Cloud & Quality Flags	Document, Data Access & Contact
Advanced SCATterometer (ASCAT), real aperture radar, operating at C-band Metop-A (2006), Metop-B (2012), Metop-C (2018) EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) Sun-sync near-polar, EXT=0930/2130h (Asc/Des), r=817km, i=98.7°, A/B in same orbital plane about 180° apart
Metop-B ASCAT Metop-A ASCAT	Ascending+Descending 25km (L3)	NOAA CW ASCAT (processing level 3)	Release note <>add info<>	HTTP Contact

Reference SST	Resolution	Time coverage	Inputs	Further info
Canadian Meteorological Centre 0.1 deg L4 SST (CMC)
CMC 0.1	0.10 deg (~10km), Daily	01-Jan-2016 on	IR: AVHRR, VIIRS, WindSat MW: AMSR-2 Insitu: yes; CMC ice	Link FTP Publication Contact
UK MetOffice Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis (OSTIA)
OSTIA Opr Climate	0.05 deg (~6km), Daily 0.25 deg (~25km), Monthly	Apr-2006 on Climatological Avg	IR: AVHRR, VIIRS, WindSat MW: AMSR-2 Insitu: yes; CMC ice OSTIA daily analysis Ice values also averaged	Link FTP Publication Contact Personal communication Contact
In situ SST data match-ups: TBD
{NAME}	Point, 1min	DD-MON-YYYY on	Drifters; Moored buoys; Argo floats	Link FTP Documentation Contact
Match-up: Model/L4 matches are per date, bilinear interpolation. Insitu are for <±X km ±Y min>

Y1-axis	Y2-axis
N D 24h	N D 24h
OC Chl-a SSH SSS SST SSW	OC Chl-a SSH SSS SST SSW
SatProd01 SatProd02 SatProd03	SatProd01 SatProd02 SatProd03