Sea Surface Temperature Archive: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

The Bureau of Meteorology provides the Australian and international maritime communities with weather forecasts, warnings and observations for coastal waters areas and high seas around Australia. Generally most of these services are provided routinely throughout the day, while marine weather warnings may be issued at any time when the need becomes apparent. Because of the complex nature of the sea, the Bureau of Meteorology uses advanced computer models to predict the physical characteristics of the ocean. These computer forecasts are used by meteorologists in the preparation of marine forecasts and warnings. The forecasts include wind, weather, sea and swell and are intended to describe the average conditions over specified areas. Marine forecasts have been enhanced by the inclusion of ocean currents and sea-surface temperature forecasts through the BLUElink ocean forecasting initiative.The Sea Surface Temperature Browse Service provides access to browse images (1:5 resolution) of satellite derived Daily Sea Surface Temperature data available from 30 December 1998. The Bureau currently uses measurements from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of polar orbiting satellites to derive SSTs for the Australian region. The data is calibrated and quality controlled against SST data collected from ships and drifting buoys. The SSTs are used in real time operations and also archived as the data as part of Australia's National Climate Record.This record also provides links to BOM Ocean Analysis data including Daily/Weekly/Monthly records of Australian and Global Sea Surface and Subsurface Temperatures.