The operational Satellite Ocean Heat Content Suite (SOHCS) product measures integrated vertical ocean temperature from the sea surface to the depth of the 26°C isotherm. This product is used to improve hurricane intensity forecasts and increase lead time warnings for high impact events. SOHCS also provides information about ocean eddies, vertical temperature profiles and sea surface temperature anomalies that may affect coral reefs.
Access Methods
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Parameters
The data consists of seven parameters including sea surface height anomaly and its mapping error, depth of the 20° and 26° Celsius isotherm, mixed layer depth, ocean heat content and sea surface temperature.
Related Products and Datasets
Product Details
Origin
Generated by NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS).
Resolution
0.25° x 0.25° horizontal grid
Algorithm
The operational algorithm implemented was developed at the University of Miami/Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS).
The algorithm uses a reduced gravity model to estimate the 20 degree isotherm depth based on objectively analyzed blended sea surface height anomaly fields from operational altimeters (Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa (SARAL), OSTM/Jason-1, Jason-2, Jason-3 and Cryosat-2) and Geo-Polar blended SST analyses.
Overview
The NCEI Satellite Oceanographic Program (SOP) generates a Data Quality Monitoring System (DQMS) and computes the descriptive quality assurance (QA) statistics including observation number, standard deviation, mean, minimum, and maximum for the parameter of ocean heat content in each file. The statistics are generated every month after the data have been Archived in NCEI.
