SST Indices from Reduced Space Optimal Analysis of the MOHSST5 Global Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies

Indices (averages for different areas) of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies from the papers

are available as a dataset including an interactive viewer and downloadable data files.

These indices illustrate the Optimal Smoother (OS) analysis of MOHSST5 (version of GOSTA) dataset. The input data (the MOHSST5 version of the GOSTA dataset) from the U.K. Meteorological Office on which the analysis was based can be viewed e.g. here .

For each index we show three kinds of values: avGOSTA, straight average of the values available in the MOHSST5 dataset , avOS, the value corresponding to the OS analysis, and avOS_err, theoretical estimate for the rms error in the analyzed index.

Indices are defined as follows:

 NAc      North Atlantic (caption) NAc index [30N-50N, 60W-0W].
 NAf      North Atlantic (figure) NAf index [35N-70N, 75W-10W].
 NAi      North Atlantic (intended) NAi index [35N-60N, 60W-0W].
 NP       North Pacific NP index [30N-50N, 150E-120W].
 NINO3    NINO3 index [5S-5N, 150W-90W].
 NINO3.4  NINO3.4 index [5S-5N, 170W-120W].
 WP       Western Pacific (or Warm Pool) WP index [5S-5N, 120E-170E] 
 EqNA     Equatorial North Atlantic average EqNA [5N-20N,80W-15W].
 GT       Global equatorial mean [5S-5N].
 GT30     Global tropical mean [30S-30N].
 GL       Global mean [30S-60N].

Names of the indices are consistent with those used in the papers, with the following exceptions:

ATTENTION: Up to January 18, 1997, NINO3.4 index mistakenly contained the values for NINO3. If you wanted to use specifically NINO3.4 prior to this date, you'd better redo you calculations (or re-download NINO3.4).

Send all inquiries to alexeyk@ldeo.columbia.edu.