AVHRR Pathfinder version 5.2 level 3 collated (L3C) global 4km sea surface temperature for 1981-2012

The AVHRR Pathfinder Version 5.2 Sea Surface Temperature dataset (PFV52) is a collection of global, twice-daily 4km sea surface temperature data produced in a partnership by the NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center and the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. PFV52 was computed from data from the AVHRR instruments on board NOAA's polar orbiting satellite series using an entirely modernized system based on SeaDAS. This system incorporates several key changes from Versions 5.0 and 5.1 of Pathfinder, including the use of an entirely new land mask, a modified grid, and the inclusion of sea ice, wind speed, and aerosol ancillary data to support the use of the SST data. Importantly, PFV52 data are provided in netCDF-4 (classic model, with internal compression and chunking) and are nearly 100% compliant with the GHRSST Data Specification Version 2.0 for L3C products. These data deviate from that standard only in that sses_bias, sses_standard_deviation, and sst_dtime variables are empty. PFV52 data were collected through the operational periods of the NOAA-7 through NOAA-19 Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), and are available back to 1981. Data for all years are available as separate NODC accessions.

Data and Resources

Field Value
access_constraints ["Cite as: Casey, Kenneth S.; Evans, Robert H.; Baringer, Warner; Kilpatrick, Katherine A.; Podest\u00c3\u00a1, Guillermo P.; Walsh, Susan; Williams, Elizabeth; Brandon, Tess B.; Byrne, Deirdre A.; Foti, Gregg; Li, Yuanjie; Phillips, Sheri A.; Zhang, Dexin; Zhang, Yongsheng (2011). AVHRR Pathfinder version 5.2 level 3 collated (L3C) global 4km sea surface temperature for 1981-2012. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.7289/v5wd3xhb. Accessed [date].", "Please also cite: Casey, K.S., T.B. Brandon, P. Cornillon, and R. Evans (2010). \"The Past, Present and Future of the AVHRR Pathfinder SST Program\", in Oceanography from Space: Revisited, eds. V. Barale, J.F.R. Gower, and L. Alberotanza, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8681-5_16", "Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.", "Please acknowledge the use of these data with the following statement: These data were provided by GHRSST and the US National Oceanographic Data Center."]
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bbox-north-lat 90
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contact-email ncei.info@noaa.gov
coupled-resource []
dataset-reference-date [{"type": "publication", "value": "2011-03-08"}, {"type": "revision", "value": "2021-10-15"}]
frequency-of-update asNeeded
graphic-preview-description Preview graphic
graphic-preview-file https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/gfx?id=gov.noaa.nodc:AVHRR_Pathfinder-NODC-L3C-v5.2
graphic-preview-type PNG
guid gov.noaa.nodc:AVHRR_Pathfinder-NODC-L3C-v5.2
licence ["accessLevel: Public"]
metadata-date 2025-05-28T13:25:39Z
metadata-language eng
metadata_type geospatial
old-spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-180.0, -90.0], [180.0, -90.0], [180.0, 90.0], [-180.0, 90.0], [-180.0, -90.0]]]}
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resource-type series
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temporal-extent-begin 1981-09-01
temporal-extent-end 2012-12-31
Groups
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  • National Provider
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Tags
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  • AmeriGEOSS
  • CKAN
  • GEO
  • GEOSS
  • National
  • North America
  • United States
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  • oceanography
  • sea_ice_area_fraction
  • sea_surface_skin_temperature
  • time
  • wind_speed
isopen False
metadata_created 2025-09-24T20:20:47.039816
metadata_modified 2025-09-24T20:20:47.039828
notes The AVHRR Pathfinder Version 5.2 Sea Surface Temperature dataset (PFV52) is a collection of global, twice-daily 4km sea surface temperature data produced in a partnership by the NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center and the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. PFV52 was computed from data from the AVHRR instruments on board NOAA's polar orbiting satellite series using an entirely modernized system based on SeaDAS. This system incorporates several key changes from Versions 5.0 and 5.1 of Pathfinder, including the use of an entirely new land mask, a modified grid, and the inclusion of sea ice, wind speed, and aerosol ancillary data to support the use of the SST data. Importantly, PFV52 data are provided in netCDF-4 (classic model, with internal compression and chunking) and are nearly 100% compliant with the GHRSST Data Specification Version 2.0 for L3C products. These data deviate from that standard only in that sses_bias, sses_standard_deviation, and sst_dtime variables are empty. PFV52 data were collected through the operational periods of the NOAA-7 through NOAA-19 Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), and are available back to 1981. Data for all years are available as separate NODC accessions.
num_resources 40
num_tags 15
title AVHRR Pathfinder version 5.2 level 3 collated (L3C) global 4km sea surface temperature for 1981-2012