Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature - NOAA
Original (non-English) name
Acronym
OISST - NOAA
Citation
Abstract
There are two kinds of daily OISST named after the relevant satellite SST sensors. These are the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). AVHRR has the longest record from late 1981 to the present of SST measurements from a single sensor design. Infrared instruments like AVHRR can make observations at relatively high resolution but cannot see through clouds. Microwave instruments like AMSR-E can measure SSTs in most weather conditions except heavy rain but not adjacent to the land.
The NOAA 1/4° daily Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (or daily OISST) is an analysis constructed by combining observations from different platforms (satellites, ships, buoys, and Argo floats) on a regular global grid. A spatially complete SST map is produced by interpolating to fill in gaps. The methodology includes bias adjustment of satellite and ship observations (referenced to buoys) to compensate for platform differences and sensor biases. This proved critical during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991 when the widespread presence of volcanic aerosols resulted in infrared satellite temperatures that were much cooler than actual ocean temperatures (Reynolds 1993).