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

    Metadata Updated: March 1, 2026

    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.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date 2026-01-26T22:25:36Z
    Metadata Created Date June 4, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date March 1, 2026
    Reference Date(s) March 8, 2011 (publication), October 15, 2021 (revision), March 8, 2011 (creation)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Preview graphic

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Series
    Metadata Date 2026-01-26T22:25:36Z
    Metadata Created Date June 4, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date March 1, 2026
    Reference Date(s) March 8, 2011 (publication), October 15, 2021 (revision), March 8, 2011 (creation)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nodc:AVHRR_Pathfinder-NODC-L3C-v5.2
    Access Constraints Cite as: Casey, Kenneth S.; Evans, Robert H.; Baringer, Warner; Kilpatrick, Katherine A.; Podestá, 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.
    Bbox East Long 180
    Bbox North Lat 90
    Bbox South Lat -90
    Bbox West Long -180
    Coupled Resource
    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
    Harvest Object Id 1ec249f6-5eba-463d-9b90-39b187e1b879
    Harvest Source Id c084a438-6f6b-470d-93e0-16aeddb9f513
    Harvest Source Title NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions
    Licence accessLevel: Public
    Lineage
    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]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1981-09-01
    Temporal Extent End 2012-12-31

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