WMO Global Campus Collection of Learning Resources

Sea surface temperatures have been measured for over one hundred years, first using in situ instruments, which provide limited spatial and temporal coverage, and since the 70's from satellite. Depending on the satellite operating wavelength range, the temperature estimations correspond to distinct ocean depths. This tutorial is focused in the temperature of the surface emitting layer of ~ 10-20 μm depth, estimated from infrared measurements, the so-called Skin Sea Surface Temperature (SST). There are several SST providers and the choice of the most suitable product depends on the user application. In this tutorial several examples of SST datasets are shown, as well as some applications of this product.