| OVERVIEW |
General information : This dataset is generated in the frame of Medspiration project, a European initiative to combine data measured independently by several different satellite systems into a set of data products that represent the best measure of SST, presented in a form that can be assimilated into ocean forecasting models. Medspiration is the European component of the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) high-resolution sea surface temperature pilot project (GHRSST-PP) project established to give international focus and coordination to the development of a new generation of global, multi-sensor, high-resolution (~6 hours and 10 km), SST products. The GHRSST-PP brings together international Space Agencies, Research Institutes, Universities, operational ocean forecasting agencies (civil and military) and Government agencies to collectively solve the scientific, logistical and managerial challenges posed by creating the SST data products and services within the GHRSST-PP. Following a period of preparation throughout 2002 and early 2003, the GHRSST-PP will implement a system that will provide a demonstration of the operational advantages and value of including high resolution SST data sets in climate and ocean modelling in real time during the 2003-2005 GODAE demonstration phase.This dataset of gap-free daily sea surface temperature maps (L4 product) produced at ultra-high resolution (UHR) on a 2 x 2 km grid for the Mediterranean Sea. Optimal interpolation (OI) techniques are used to combine coincident L2P (observations along the satellite swath) measures of SST from different types of sensor and to fill gaps where no observations are available. Whereas L2P data essentially represent the skin or sub-skin SST, this L4 SST product is defined to represent SST foundation (not affected by diurnal cycle) and is updated only once every 24 hr.
Each map is produced in near real-time and is available the day after, before 12:00 UTC. The data are stored in Netcdf format, complying to GHRSST-PP format recommendations, and delivered through FTP (direct push to user is available on request), OpenDAP and Live Access Server. More information is available on Medspiration web site at http://www.medspiration.org.
Note : We would like to remind our users that the L4 SST product is still experimental since multisensor merging is still a new field of investigation . We ask our users to remember that the system is not yet fully tuned and we do not expect this L4 product necessarily to be achieving the highest quality. For example we are still relying on static sensor specific error statistics (SSES) because the GHRSST IPO is not able to supply dynamically updated SSES until the matchup data base (MDB) is sufficiently populated. We are also taking a very cautious approach to the estimation of diurnal warming in the evaluation of SST foundation temperature.
Thus this L4 product should not yet be considered to provide a fully reliable SST map of the Mediterranean Sea.
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| PARAMETERS GROUP |
| (from BODC) |
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| PARAMETERS
(parameter, unit, convention)
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- sea_surface_temperature,K,CF
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