Version 3: The Goddard Satellite-based Surface Turbulent Fluxes (GSSTF) data set is part of the NASA Making Earth Science Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Project. The objective of this project is to continually produce a uniform data set of sea surface turbulent fluxes derived from remote sensing data and analysis that have been and continue to be useful for global energy and water flux research and applications. This product is useful for diagnosing the global water and energy cycle interaction of higher frequency scenario. Fully tested, these products can serve as a crucial input for data assimilation of oceanic GCMs. In contrast to previous versions, the GSSTF_3 is on a 0.25x0.25 degree grid, as well as involving an updated algorithm for surface air humidity retrieval. Similar to the preceding Version 2c GSSTF, a corrected/improved set of SSM/I Brightness temperatures (Tb) have been used. Basically, the artificial trends found in the original SSM/I V6 Brightness Temperatures (used for producing Version 2b GSSTF previously) due mainly to the variations/trends of Earth incidence angle (EIA) in the SSM/I satellites were genuinely removed.
Key Strengths:
- High resolution
- Artificial trends removed
Technical Notes
As in previous versions, the daily fluxes have first been produced for each individual available SSM/I satellite tapes (e.g., F08, F10, F11, F13, F14 and F15). Then, the Combined daily fluxes are produced by averaging (equally weighted) over available flux data/files from various satellites. These Combined daily flux data are considered as the "final" GSSTF, Version 3, and are stored in this HDF-EOS5 collection. The monthly temporal and one-degree spatial resolution of the product can be used to examining climate variability at these scales. Oceanic evaporation contributes to the net fresh water input to the oceans and drives the upper ocean density structure and consequently the circulation of the oceans.
Data Access: Please Cite data sources, following the data providers' instructions.
- Shie, C.-L. et al (2010): The Goddard Satellite- Based Surface Turbulent Fluxes Dataset --- Version 2b (GSSTF 2b) [global (grid of 1x1) daily air-sea surface fluxes from July 1987 to December 2008]
- Shie, C.-L. et al (2009): A Note on Reviving the Goddard Satellite-Based Surface Turbulent Fluxes (GSSTF) Dataset. ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES, VOL. 26, NO. 6, 2009, 1071–1080
- Brunke, M.A, et al (2011): An Assessment of the Uncertainties in Ocean Surface Turbulent Fluxes in 11 Reanalysis, Satellite-Derived, and Combined Global Datasets. J. Climate, 24, 5469–5493
- Shie, C.-L., K. Hilburn, L. S. Chiu, R. Adler, I-I Lin, E. Nelkin, J. Ardizzone, and S. Gao (2012),Goddard Satellite-Based Surface Turbulent Fluxes, Daily Grid,version 3, Edited by Andrey Savtchenko., Greenbelt, MD, USA:Goddard Earth Science Data and Info