Operational Multi-Channel Sea Surface Temperature Production at the Naval Oceanographic Office

The Naval Oceanographic Office operationally processes real-time Global Area Coverage Advanced Very-High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data from POES NOAA-14 and NOAA-15. Over 300,000 global Multi-Channel Sea Surface Temperature (MCSST) retrievals are generated and distributed daily in less than 5 hours from the time the satellites acquire the data. Global match-ups of satellite retrievals with drifting buoy measurements of sea surface temperature consistently maintain a global root-mean-square difference error of less than 0.7 ^oC. This product is operationally utilized within thermal structure analyses, civilian and military maritime activities, and numerical weather prediction forecasts. The MCSST data processing procedures will be described along with the MCSST products readily available to users.