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Ocean Data Access and Tools
NASA data span the geophysical parameters that characterize the global ocean and the physical processes operating within its depths and at its surface. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.
Ocean Datasets
| Dataset Sort descending | Version | Platforms | Instruments | Temporal Extent | Spatial Extent | Spatial Resolution | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Margin Exchange Phase II (OMEX II) Project | 0 | BUOYS, MOORINGS, Water-based Platforms, AUVS, ROVS, Ships | 1998-06-27 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
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| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Final 0.25 Degree (Version 2.0) | 2.0 | NOAA-14, JASON-1, TOPEX/POSEIDON, NOAA-17, GRACE, OSTM/JASON-2, DMSP 5D-2/F10, DMSP 5D-2/F11, ERS-2, GFO, NOAA-16, NOAA-19, ENVISAT, QUIKSCAT, DMSP 5D-2/F14, ERS-1, DMSP 5D-2/F13, NOAA-20, METOP-A, JASON-3 | AVHRR-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-2, ALT (TOPEX), TMR, SSALT, AVHRR-3, GRACE-FO ACC, GRACE-FO KBR, GRACE SCA, AMR, POSEIDON-3, SSM/I, ERS-2 Altimeter, GFO Altimeter, RA-2, SEAWINDS, ERS-1 ALTIMETER, POSEIDON-3B | 1993-01-01 to 2022-08-05 |
N: 89.75 S: -89.75 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Interim 0.25 Degree (Version 2.0) | 2.0 | NOAA-14, JASON-1, TOPEX/POSEIDON, NOAA-17, GRACE, OSTM/JASON-2, DMSP 5D-2/F10, DMSP 5D-2/F11, ERS-2, GFO, NOAA-16, NOAA-19, ENVISAT, QUIKSCAT, DMSP 5D-2/F14, ERS-1, DMSP 5D-2/F13, NOAA-20, METOP-A, JASON-3 | AVHRR-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-2, ALT (TOPEX), TMR, SSALT, AVHRR-3, GRACE-FO ACC, GRACE-FO KBR, GRACE SCA, AMR, POSEIDON-3, SSM/I, ERS-2 Altimeter, GFO Altimeter, RA-2, SEAWINDS, ERS-1 ALTIMETER, POSEIDON-3B | 2020-01-01 to Present |
N: 89.75 S: -89.75 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) Surface Currents - Near Real Time 0.25 Degree (Version 2.0) | 2.0 | NOAA-14, JASON-1, TOPEX/POSEIDON, NOAA-17, GRACE, OSTM/JASON-2, DMSP 5D-2/F10, DMSP 5D-2/F11, ERS-2, GFO, NOAA-16, NOAA-19, ENVISAT, QUIKSCAT, DMSP 5D-2/F14, ERS-1, DMSP 5D-2/F13, NOAA-20, METOP-A, JASON-3 | AVHRR-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-2, ALT (TOPEX), TMR, SSALT, AVHRR-3, GRACE-FO ACC, GRACE-FO KBR, GRACE SCA, AMR, POSEIDON-3, SSM/I, ERS-2 Altimeter, GFO Altimeter, RA-2, SEAWINDS, ERS-1 ALTIMETER, POSEIDON-3B | 2021-01-01 to Present |
N: 89.75 S: -89.75 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| Ocean Surface pCO2 and Air-Sea CO2 Flux in the Northern Gulf of America, 2006-2010 | 1 | Aqua | MODIS | 2006-01-01 to 2011-01-01 |
N: 32 S: 25 E: -86 W: -96 |
netCDF-4 classic | |
| Ocean Twilight Zone: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | 0 | BUOYS, MOORINGS, Water-based Platforms, AUVS, ROVS, Ships | 2021-05-01 to 2024-07-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
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| Oceansat-2 Scatterometer Level 2B Ocean Wind Vectors in 12.5km Slice Composites Version 2 | 2 | IRS-O2 | OSCAT | 2010-01-16 to 2014-02-20 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: 0 N: 90 S: -90 E: 0 W: -180 |
12500 Meters x 12500 Meters | netCDF-4 |
| OCEANX_2025 | 0 | BUOYS, MOORINGS, Water-based Platforms, AUVS, ROVS, Ships | 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
|||
| Odyssee Saint Laurent | 0 | BUOYS, MOORINGS, Water-based Platforms, AUVS, ROVS, Ships | 2019-02-03 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
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| Office of Naval Research (ONR) - Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) measurements | 0 | BUOYS, MOORINGS, Water-based Platforms, AUVS, ROVS, Ships | 1996-08-08 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
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Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Platform
SWOT provides detailed surface topography and monitors water body changes over time. The platform enables high-resolution ocean monitoring at 15-150 km spatial scales, tracking ocean currents, coastal dynamics, storm surges, and regional sea level changes. On land, SWOT measures water storage changes in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and wetlands, supporting river discharge estimates for water resource assessment.
Researchers explore using SWOT data to derive two-dimensional estimates of sea ice thickness.
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Swath Visualizer provides a visualization of two instruments’ coverage of Earth's surface: the Ka-band Radar Interferometer and altimeter.
SWOT presents opportunities and challenges in characterizing sea surface height anomalies.
Ocean Data Tools
| Tool Sort descending | Description | Services | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AppEEARS | The The Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS) offers users a simple and efficient way to perform data access and transformation processes. | Search and Discovery, Subsetting, Customization, Downloading, Visualization | |
| CASEI | The Catalog of Archived Suborbital Earth Science Investigations (CASEI) is a comprehensive inventory of contextual information for NASA's Earth Science airborne and field campaigns. | Search and Discovery, Cataloging | |
| CyAN File Search | The CyAN File Search tool allows users to choose an area over the continental United States and Alaska to retrieve cyanobacteria datasets archived by the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) project. | Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization | |
| CyFi Explorer | CyFi Explorer enables users to view corresponding Sentinel-2 satellite imagery for each cyanobacteria estimate, and estimate cyanobacteria density. | Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization | |
| Earthdata Search | Earthdata Search enables data discovery, search, comparison, visualization, and access across NASA’s Earth science data holdings. | Search and Discovery, Access, Cataloging, Cloud Computing, Downloading | |
| Giovanni | Giovanni is a web application for accessing, visualizing, and analyzing Earth science remote sensing data without downloading the data. | Search and Discovery, Analysis, Access, Visualization, Downloading, Subsetting | |
| Hydrocron | Hydrocron is an API that repackages hydrology datasets from SWOT into formats that make time-series analysis easier. | Subsetting, Visualization | |
| Ocean Color Level 3 and 4 Browser | The Ocean Color Level 3 and 4 Browser allows users to view, download, or order global composites at various spatial and temporal scales (level 3) or get results from analyses of lower-level data (level 4). | Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization | |
| Panoply | Panoply is a cross-platform application that plots geo-referenced and other arrays from netCDF, HDF, GRIB, and other datasets. | Visualization, Customization, Reformatting, Subsetting, Comparison | |
| SeaBASS | SeaBASS is public archive of ocean and atmosphere data captured in situ. The archive is maintained by NASA's Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG). | Downloading |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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