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Physical Oceanography DAAC (PO.DAAC)

The PO.DAAC provides global oceanographic data from spaceborne instruments, and produces higher level data products. Core holdings include ocean surface topography, ocean winds, and sea surface temperatures. Other holdings include data on ocean wave height, ionospheric electron content, atmospheric moisture, and heat flux, as well as in situ data related to the satellite data.

Global SSHA data
Photo: Global SSHA data from the Jason-1 and TOPEX/POSEIDON tandem mission. Purple and blue represent below normal SSH, while green represents average SSH. Red and white indicate SSH more than 10 centimeters above normal.

Available Data

Ocean Surface Topography (OST)

  • TOPEX/POSEIDON
    (Resolution: Along track | Availability: 1992 to present | Coverage: Global)

    Data include sea surface height (SSH), wind speed, significant wave height, tropospheric water vapor, ionospheric electron content, and ancillary information along the satellite's track, from both NASA and CNES (French space agency) altimeters and radiometer. Products include the complete Merged Geophysical Data Record-B (MGDR-B), two reduced-volume sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) products, as well as near-real-time SSHA data from PO.DAAC's Near-Real-Time Image Distribution Server (NEREIDS).

  • Jason-1
    (Resolution: Along track | Availability: 2002 to present | Coverage: Global)

    Jason-1, the TOPEX/POSEIDON follow-on, is a joint French/U.S. mission to measure global sea surface topography along a 10-day repeat ground track. Data products include Operational Sensor Data Records (OSDRs), Interim Geophysical Data Records (IGDRs), Geophysical Data Records (GDRs), and SSHA products, as well as near-real-time SSHA data from NEREIDS.

Wind speeds of Hurricane Ivan
Photo: Wind speeds topped 260 km/hour (160 mph) during Hurricane Ivan, September 2004. The purple in the center of the storm shows the highest wind speeds and the green around the outside shows the lowest. NASA image courtesy of the QuikSCAT team at JPL.

Ocean Vector Winds

  • SeaWinds on QuikSCAT and SeaWinds on ADEOS-II
    (Resolution: Level 3 at 0.25 deg; Level 2B at 25 km | Availability: QuikSCAT, July 1999 to present; ADEOS-II, April 2003 to October 2003 | Coverage: Global)

    Level 3 data sets from the SeaWinds instrument on both QuikSCAT and ADEOS-II provide daily gridded wind vectors, comprising zonal and meridional components. The Level 2B data sets provide per-orbit, swathed wind vectors, comprising speed and direction. SeaWinds orbits more than 14 times a day. Both products have ancillary data, e.g., rain flags and quality indicators.

  • SeaWinds Wind Stress
    (Resolution: Level 3 at 0.25 deg; Level 2B at 0.5 deg | Availability: QuikSCAT, July 1999 to present; ADEOS-II, April 2003 to October 2003 | Coverage: Global)

    The SeaWinds Level 3 and Level 2B wind stress products are derived from the Level 3 and the Level 2B wind vector products, respectively. Both products contain wind stress and drag coefficients from two algorithms, Liu & Tang and Large & Pond.

  • NSCAT
    (Resolution: Level 2 at 25 km and 50 km; Level 3 at 0.5 deg | Availability: September 1996 to June 1997 | Coverage: Global)

    This NASA scatterometer data product includes 25-kilometer wind vectors in native format (Level 2), daily 0.5- by 0.5-degree maps of selected wind vectors (Level 3), and 50-kilometer swath data.

Gulf Stream MCSST
Photo: Gulf Stream MCSST off the eastern coast of the United States. MCSST 2.2 km data are provided by NAVOCEANO.

Sea Surface Temperature (SST)

  • NODC/RSMAS version 5.0 AVHRR Pathfinder SST
    (Resolution: 4 km | Availability: 1985 to present | Coverage: Global)

    Latest version of the AVHRR Pathfinder product at 4 km global coverage. Data are available in 16-bit precision with a new improved land mask which allows for more retrievals along coasts and lakes. An ice mask is also now distributed with the SST data. Temporal resolution is daily, 8 day and monthly.

  • AVHRR MCSST
    (Resolution: 2.2 km, 9 km, and 18 km | Availability: 1981 to 2001 (Miami) and 2001 to present (NAVOCEANO) | Coverage: Global)

    SST products derived from Multi-Channel Sea Surface Temperature (MCSST) algorithms from the University of Miami and Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO). The NAVOCEANO data include 2.2 km products for defined coastal areas.

  • MODIS
    (Resolution: 4.63 km, 36 km, and 1.0 deg | Availability: October 2000 to present | Coverage: Global)

    Daily, weekly, and monthly SST data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board Terra and Aqua are available in thermal IR or mid-IR mapped products.

  • GOES SST
    (Resolution: 6 km | Availability: May 2003 to present, (GOES 10, 12); Oct. 2004 to present (GOES 9) | Coverage: 180-30° W, 45° S to 60° N (GOES 10, 12); 110° E to 180° W, 42° S to 42° N (GOES 9))

    SSTs are derived from NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data and obtained at a near-real-time rate as 1-, 3-, and 24-hour images.

GRACE Mission Data Products

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission data products are available from August 2002 to June 2004. Level 2 data products are monthly gravity field estimates as well as mean gravity field models. These are provided as sets of spherical harmonic coefficients of the geopotential. Level 1B data contain inter-satellite range variations and all necessary corrections to derive monthly time-variations in Earth's gravity field.

Scatterometer Sigma0 Measurements

The normalized radar cross section (i.e., sigma0) measured by scatterometers convert to winds when gathered over the oceans. Sigma0s have proven useful in a variety of land and ice studies. Enhanced-resolution sigma0 products are available for ERS, NSCAT, and Seasat, and a browse product is available for QuikSCAT and SeaWinds.

Multiparameter and In Situ Data Products

In addition to the SSH, SST, and ocean wind products described, other in situ and multiparameter products are available, including significant wave height, chlorophyll-a concentration, near-surface currents, atmospheric moisture, brightness temperature, and heat flux. Refer to the PO.DAAC online catalog for a full listing of these products.

Data Tools and Services

PO.DAAC has a subsetting and visualization tool (POET), a near-real-time image distribution server (NEREIDS), and other tools and services.

Future Data

  • GHRSST-PP

    The GODAE High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature Pilot Project (GHRSST-PP) is an international collaboration to produce a new generation of global satellite-based SST measurements from infrared and microwave instruments. Level 2 Preprocessed (L2P) and Level 4 merged SST products containing satellitespecific SST error statistics and other relevant ancillary information (e.g., diurnal warming) will be available through a 30-day rolling store. A metadata repository database will facillitate search and discovery of GHRSST-PP products also archived at the NOAA NODC as well as provide access to matchups of coincident in situ and satellite SST observations.

Data Access

The PO.DAAC catalog of products and educational information can be accessed through the Web site. Investigators may subscribe to the PO.DAAC data-news bulletins. An online search-and-order service is also available through the EDG.

For assistance or additional information, contact:

PO.DAAC User Services
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Phone: +1 626-744-5508
Fax: +1 626-744-5506
E-mail: jpl@eos.nasa.gov or podaac@podaac.jpl.nasa.gov
FTP: podaac.jpl.nasa.gov