We are in the process of migrating all NASA Earth science data sites into Earthdata from now until end of 2026. Not all NASA Earth science data and resources will appear here until then. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.
Read about the Web Unification Project
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 | Platform | Instrument | Temporal Extent | Spatial Extent | Spatial Resolution | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km NRT | 6.1NRT | Terra | MODIS | 2021-02-07 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers | HDF-EOS |
| MODIS/Terra Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V061 | 61 | Terra | MODIS | 2000-02-24 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers | HDF-EOS2 |
| Monsoonal Arabian Sea measurements to validate OceanSat-2 | 0 | BUOYS, MOORINGS, Water-based Platforms, AUVS, ROVS, Ships | 2009-02-10 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
|||
| Monterey Ocean Observing System (MOOS) Upper-water-column Science Experiment (MUSE) | 0 | BUOYS, MOORINGS, Water-based Platforms, AUVS, ROVS, Ships | 2002-07-11 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
|||
| Monthly SIF Estimates from TROPOMI over the Arctic Ocean, 2004-2020 | 1 | Sentinel-5P | TROPOMI | 2004-01-01 to 2020-12-31 |
N: 90 S: 50 E: 180 W: -180 |
COG | |
| Moorea Coral Reef Long-Term Ecological Research site (MCR LTER) | 0 | BUOYS, MOORINGS, Water-based Platforms, AUVS, ROVS, Ships | 2014-07-19 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
|||
| Multi-Mission Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Salinity Global Dataset V1 | 1.0 | SMAP, SAC-D, SMOS | SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER, AQUARIUS_SCATTEROMETER | 2011-08-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| Multi-Mission Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Salinity Global Dataset V2 | 2.0 | SMAP, SAC-D, SMOS | SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER, AQUARIUS_SCATTEROMETER | 2011-08-24 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| Multi-Mission Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Salinity Global Monthly Dataset V1 | 1.0 | SMAP, SAC-D, SMOS | SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER, AQUARIUS_SCATTEROMETER | 2011-09-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| Multi-Mission Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Salinity Global Monthly Dataset V2 | 2.0 | SMAP, SAC-D, SMOS | SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER, AQUARIUS_SCATTEROMETER | 2011-08-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.25 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| MWOW 6-Hourly Global Ocean Wind Level 3 Version 0.1 | 0.1 | METOP-B, METOP-C, IRS E06, SMAP, SWOT | ASCAT, SCAT-3, SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER, KaRIn | 2023-01-01 to 2027-08-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.125 Decimal Degrees x 0.125 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| MWOW 6-Hourly Global Ocean Wind with Expanded Platform Inputs Level 3 Version 0.1 | 0.1 | METOP-B, METOP-C, IRS E06, SMAP, SWOT, HY2-B, HY2-C | ASCAT, SCAT-3, SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER, KaRIn, SCATTEROMETERS | 2023-01-01 to 2027-08-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.125 Decimal Degrees x 0.125 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| MWOW 6-Hourly High Resolution Global Ocean Wind Level 3 Version 0.1 | 0.1 | METOP-B, METOP-C, IRS E06, SMAP, SWOT | ASCAT, SCAT-3, SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER, KaRIn | 2023-01-01 to 2027-08-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.015625 Decimal Degrees x 0.015625 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| MWOW 6-Hourly High Resolution Global Ocean Wind with Expanded Platform Inputs Level 3 Version 0.1 | 0.1 | METOP-B, METOP-C, IRS E06, SMAP, SWOT, HY2-B, HY2-C | ASCAT, SCAT-3, SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER, KaRIn, SCATTEROMETERS | 2023-01-01 to 2027-08-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.015625 Decimal Degrees x 0.015625 Decimal Degrees | netCDF-4 |
| NAAMES C-130 Aerosol and Cloud Remote Sensing Data, Version 1 | 1 | C-130 | RSP, 4STAR, HSRL | 2015-11-04 to 2018-03-25 | ICARTT, HDF5, PNG, KML | ||
| NAAMES C-130 Ocean Remote Sensing Data, Version 1 | 1 | C-130 | GCAS | 2015-11-04 to 2017-09-20 | HDF4, JPEG, KML | ||
| NAAMES R/V Atlantis Miscellaneous Data, Version 1 | 1 | R/V Atlantis | THERMOSALINOGRAPHS | 2015-01-01 to 2018-09-24 | NetCDF-4, ASCII, ICARTT, GIF, KML, PDF, PNG, JPEG | ||
| NARSTO EPA Supersite (SS) Pittsburgh Particulate Matter (PM) Composition Data | 1 | LABORATORY | SPECTROPHOTOMETERS, ICP-MS, ION CHROMATOGRAPHS | 2001-06-29 to 2002-09-29 | ASCII | ||
| NASA Energy and Water cycle Study (NEWS) Annual Climatology of the 1st decade of the 21st Century V1.0 (NEWS_WEB_ACLIM) at GES DISC | 1.0 | OBSERVATION BASED | NOT APPLICABLE | 1998-01-01 to 2010-12-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| NASA Energy and Water cycle Study (NEWS) Monthly Climatology of the 1st decade of the 21st Century V1.0 (NEWS_WEB_MCLIM) at GES DISC | 1.0 | OBSERVATION BASED | NOT APPLICABLE | 1998-01-01 to 2010-12-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| NASA Ocean Biogeochemical Model assimilating satellite chlorophyll data global daily VR2017 (NOBM_DAY) at GES DISC | R2017 | NOBM | NOT APPLICABLE | 1998-01-01 to 2015-12-31 |
N: 72 S: -84 E: 180 W: -180 |
1.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.67 Decimal Degrees | |
| NASA Ocean Biogeochemical Model assimilating satellite chlorophyll data global monthly VR2017 (NOBM_MON) at GES DISC | R2017 | NOBM | NOT APPLICABLE | 1998-01-01 to 2015-12-31 |
N: 72 S: -84 E: 180 W: -180 |
1.25 Decimal Degrees x 0.67 Decimal Degrees | |
| NASA-SSH Along-Track Sea Surface Height from Standardized Reference Missions Version 1 | 1 | TOPEX/POSEIDON, JASON-1, OSTM/JASON-2, JASON-3, Sentinel-6A | SSALT, NRA, TMR, POSEIDON-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-3, AMR, POSEIDON-3B, AMR-2, Poseidon-4 Radar Altimeter, AMR-C | 1992-10-25 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
10 Kilometers x 10 Kilometers | netCDF-4 |
| NASA-SSH ENSO Sea Surface Height Indicator | 1 | TOPEX/POSEIDON, JASON-1, OSTM/JASON-2, JASON-3, Sentinel-6A | SSALT, NRA, TMR, POSEIDON-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-3, AMR, POSEIDON-3B, AMR-2, Poseidon-4 Radar Altimeter, AMR-C | 1993-01-04 |
N: 66 S: -66 E: 180 W: -180 |
ASCII | |
| NASA-SSH Global Mean Sea Level from Simple Gridded Sea Surface Height | 1 | TOPEX/POSEIDON, JASON-1, OSTM/JASON-2, JASON-3, Sentinel-6A | SSALT, NRA, TMR, POSEIDON-2, JASON-1 Microwave Radiometer, POSEIDON-3, AMR, POSEIDON-3B, AMR-2, Poseidon-4 Radar Altimeter, AMR-C | 1993-01-04 |
N: 66 S: -66 E: 180 W: -180 |
ASCII |
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Earthdata Forum
Our online forum provides a space for users to browse thousands of FAQs about research needs, data, and data applications. You can also submit new questions for our experts to answer.
Submit Questions to Earthdata Forumand View Expert Responses