ESA Sea Surface Temperature Climate Change Initiative (SST_cci): Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) Level 3 Collated (L3C) product, version 3.0

This dataset provides global sea surface temperatures (SST) from Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometers (SLSTR), daily collations on a 0.05° latitude-longitude grid, spanning 2016 to present, and separated into daytime and night-time files.

The SST CCI SLSTR product contains two different SST estimates. The first is the skin temperature of the water at the time it was observed. The second is an estimate of the temperature at 20 cm depth at either 1030h or 2230h local time, which closely approximates the daily mean SST. Each SST value has an associated total uncertainty estimate, and uncertainty estimates for various contributions to that total.

The dataset has been produced as part of the version 3 Climate Data Record (CDR) produced by the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative Sea Surface Temperature project (ESA SST_cci). The CDR accurately maps the surface temperature of the global oceans over the period 1980 to 2021 using observations from many satellites, with a high degree of independence from in situ measurements. The data provide independently quantified SSTs to a quality suitable for climate research.

Data from 2022 onwards are provided as an Interim Climate Data Record (ICDR) and will be updated daily at one month behind present. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) funded the development of the ICDR extension and production of the ICDR during 2022. From 2023 onwards the production of the ICDR is funded by the UK Earth Observation Climate Information Service (EOCIS) and Marine and Climate Advisory Service (MCAS).

Data are made freely and openly available under a Creative Commons License by Attribution (CC By 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

When citing this dataset please also cite the associated data paper:

Embury, O., Merchant, C.J., Good, S.A., Rayner, N.A., Høyer, J.L., Atkinson, C., Block, T., Alerskans, E., Pearson, K.J., Worsfold, M., McCarroll, N., Donlon, C. Satellite-based time-series of sea-surface temperature since 1980 for climate applications. Scientific Data 11, 326 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03147-w