The satellite measures the temperature of the top millimeter of the ocean surface. In this map, the coolest waters appear in blue (approximately -2 degrees Celsius), and the warmest temperatures appear in pink-yellow (35 degrees Celsius).

In the short term, the ocean absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide into the mixed layer, a thin layer of water with nearly uniform temperature, salinity, and dissolved gases. Wind-driven turbulence maintains the mixed layer by stirring the water near the ocean’s surface.

2024年9月26日 · Surface waters above 27.8 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit)—the temperature generally required to sustain and intensify hurricanes—are represented in red on the map. The tongue of warm water is also visible in maps of sea surface temperature anomalies on NASA’s State of the Ocean data viewer.

Covering more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface and containing about 97 percent of its surface water, the ocean stores vast amounts of energy in the form of heat. The ocean receives most of its heat along the equator, where incoming solar radiation is …

In March and April 2023, some earth scientists began to point out that average sea surface temperatures had surpassed the highest levels seen in a key data record maintained by NOAA. Months later, they remain at record levels, with global sea surface temperatures 0.99°C (1.78°F) above average in July. That was the fourth consecutive month ...

The satellites measure the temperature of the top millimeter of the ocean surface. In this map, the coolest waters appear in blue (approximately -2 degrees Celsius), and the warmest temperatures appear in pink-yellow (35 degrees Celsius).

These sea surface temperature and rainfall anomaly images show the direct correlation between ocean temperatures and rainfall during El Niño and La Niña events. For many people, El Niño and La Niña mean floods or drought, but the events are actually a warming or cooling of the eastern Pacific Ocean that impacts rainfall.

Scientists are using sea surface height data collected by satellites to monitor eddies (vortices of water) in the Gulf of Alaska. These eddies are important because they carry nutrients from coastal waters into the open ocean, thereby nourishing the phytoplankton (microscopic plants) that form the base of the ocean food chain.

2021年12月2日 · Scientists then analyze the signals to measure the roughness of the ocean surface. These measurements provide scientists with a means to derive ocean wind speeds, which is useful for studying phenomena like hurricanes.

In late summer 2005, the extremely warm sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico fueled two powerful Hurricanes: Katrina and Rita. According to data from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, each of these storms cooled water temperatures more than 4 degrees Celsius in places along their paths, and cooled the entire ...