Aqua MODIS Level-3 Global Binned 11µm Nighttime Sea Surface Temperature NSST) - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version R2019.0

As such, the inputs and the calibration used are less than optimal. Near real-time products provide a snapshot of the data during a short time period within a single orbit.

NSST provides global nighttime sea surface temperature estimates derived from thermal infrared observations acquired during local night to minimize diurnal warming and sun glint. Nighttime SST is widely used to detect ocean fronts, support fisheries habitat models (when paired with chlor_a, Kd_490, PAR), and provide stable inputs for air–sea fluxes and climate analyses. As with all IR-based SST, uncertainties increase under thin clouds, heavy aerosols/dust, or strong thermal gradients—refer to per-file flags and documentation before analysis.