Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly (SSTA)
Monitoring of sea surface temperature (SST) provides fundamental information on the global climate system and for the study of marine ecosystems. For example, it helps estimating heat stress conducive to coral bleaching, the process by which they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues and become white (bleached) and vulnerable. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch's daily global 5km satellite SST Anomaly (SSTA) compares the daily SST value with the long-term mean SST. A positive anomaly (+1.0 °C or more, warm colours) means the daily SST is warmer than the long-term average for that day; a negative anomaly (-1.0 °C or less, cold colours) means it is cooler than the average.
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Recommendations on citation available at: https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/docs/recommendations_crw_cita…
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Note that these anomalies are somewhat less reliable at high latitudes where more persistent clouds limit the amount of satellite data available for deriving accurate SST analysis fields and climatologies.
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