A MODIS sea surface temperature composite product

A method has been developed to produce a high-resolution sea-surface temperature (SST) composite product covering the Gulf of Mexico and Florida coastal waters from MODIS data. The MODIS 1 km resolution SST (MOD28) product, available in real-time from the University of South Florida, provides an accurate, highly detailed representation of SSTs. However, a single pass of MODIS data often provides little SST data for the region because of the pass coverage and/or cloud cover. The discussed compositing technique uses multiple passes of Aqua MODIS SST data from multiple days to provide SST values for all ocean pixels. Various combinations of SST data have been explored to produce a detailed and spatially continuous SST field while minimizing data latency. The MODIS SST fields are used by several Florida coastal NWS offices to assist in the prediction of the strength and location of sea breeze fronts and associated convection, and in data assimilation activities using the ADAS/WRF model as part of the Short-term Prediction and Research Transition (SPoRT) program. This paper and accompanying poster will present a comparison of the Aqua MODIS SST composite to a GOES SST composite product and to the Real-Time Global SST analysis, and will show validation results from comparisons to buoy data.