The AVHRR Pathfinder Sea Surface Temperature Climate Data Record

The Version 5 AVHRR Pathfinder sea surface temperature (SST) climate data record now spans 1985 through 2006 and in the last two years has been used by more than 20,000 people around the world in government agencies, academic institutions, and commercial enterprises. The accuracy, consistency, global scope, and fine spatial and temporal resolution of this reprocessed AVHRR data set make it useful to a variety of studies including regional numerical model improvements, climate change impacts on coral ecosystems, and fisheries habitat characterization. Extensive validation work has been conducted to provide a quantitative understanding of its strengths and remaining weaknesses so users can make informed decisions regarding its choice over other available global SST products. These validation efforts will be presented and include rigorous comparisons with other SST data and assessments of derived climatologies. A clear demonstration of the improvements made over the near-real time operational AVHRR SST dataset will be made and areas for future improvements will be highlighted. The future plans for the Pathfinder SST program will presented, including its connections to the international GODAE High Resolution SST Pilot Project.