Monthly mean sea surface temperature (SST) around premier seabird colonies from 1981 to 2024 (Stratification impacts on seabirds project)

This dataset provides monthly sea surface temperature (SST) data derived from three satellite-based sources: NASA MUR SST, UK Met Office OSTIA, and NOAA OISST. SST values were averaged within a 200-km radius around major seabird colony sites worldwide. These premier colonies are defined as locations where at least two seabird species have reproductive success records spanning 25 years or more and that are also frequented by other seabirds and marine mammals. The dataset spans varying temporal coverage from 1982 to 2024, depending on the source product. For each site, circular spatial masks were used to extract monthly mean SST, standard deviation, and the proportion of land area contained within each mask.