Identification_Information:
  Citation:
    Citation_Information:
      Originator: Schweitzer, Peter N.
      Publication_Date: 1993
      Title: Modern Average Global Sea-Surface Temperature
      Edition: 1
      Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
      Series_Information:
        Series_Name: U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series
        Issue_Identification: DDS-10
      Publication_Information:
        Publication_Place: Reston, Virginia
        Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
      Online_Linkage: http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/magsst.html

  Description:
    Abstract:
      The data contained in this data set are derived from the NOAA
      Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Multichannel Sea
      Surface Temperature data (AVHRR MCSST), which are obtainable
      from the Distributed Active Archive Center at the Jet
      Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.  The JPL tapes
      contain weekly images of SST from October 1981 through
      December 1990 in nine regions of the world ocean: North
      Atlantic, Eastern North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Agulhas,
      Indian, Southeast Pacific, Southwest Pacific, Northeast
      Pacific, and Northwest Pacific.

      This data set represents the results of calculations carried
      out on the NOAA data and also contains the source code of the
      programs that made the calculations.  The objective was to
      derive the average sea-surface temperature of each month and
      week throughout the whole 10-year series, meaning, for
      example, that data from January of each year would be averaged
      together.  The result is 12 monthly and 52 weekly images for
      each of the oceanic regions.  Averaging the images in this way
      tends to reduce the number of grid cells that lack valid data
      and to suppress interannual variability.

    Purpose:
      The purpose of this data set is to provide paleoclimate
      researchers with a tool for estimating the average seasonal
      variation in sea-surface temperature (SST) throughout the
      modern world ocean and for estimating the modern monthly and
      weekly sea-surface temperature at any given oceanic location.
      It is expected that these data will be compared with
      temperature estimates derived from geological proxy measures
      such as faunal census analyses and stable isotopic analyses.
      The results can then be used to constrain general circulation
      models of climate change.


    Supplemental_Information:
      As ancillary data, the ETOPO5 global gridded elevation and
      bathymetry data (Edwards, 1989) were interpolated to the
      resolution of the SST data; the interpolated topographic data
      are included.

      The images are provided in three formats: a modified form of
      run-length encoding (MRLE), Graphics Interchange Format (GIF),
      and Macintosh PICT format.

      Also included in the data set are programs that can retrieve
      seasonal temperature profiles at user-specified locations and
      that can decompress the data files.  These nongraphical SST
      retrieval programs are provided in versions for UNIX, MS-DOS,
      and Macintosh computers.  Graphical browse utilities are
      included for users of UNIX with the X Window System, 80386-
      based PC's, and Macintosh computers.

  Time_Period_of_Content:
    Time_Period_Information:
      Range_of_Dates/Times:
        Beginning_Date: 19811001
        Ending_Date: 19891231
    Currentness_Reference:
      Smith, E., 1991, A user's guide to the NOAA Advanced Very High
      Resolution Radiometer Multichannel Sea Surface Temperature
      data set produced by the University of Miami/Rosenstiel School
      of Marine and Atmospheric Science: Distributed by the
      Distributed Active Archive Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
      Pasadena, California. 10 p.

  Status:
    Progress: Complete
    Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Irregular

  Spatial_Domain:
    Bounding_Coordinates:
      West_Bounding_Coordinate: -180.0
      East_Bounding_Coordinate: 180.0
      North_Bounding_Coordinate: 72.0
      South_Bounding_Coordinate: -66.0

  Keywords:
    Theme:
      Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
      Theme_Keyword: Oceanography
      Theme_Keyword: Sea Surface Temperature
    Place:
      Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
      Place_Keyword: North Atlantic Ocean
      Place_Keyword: South Atlantic Ocean
      Place_Keyword: Indian Ocean
      Place_Keyword: Pacific Ocean
      Place_Keyword: Mediterranean Sea
    Temporal:
      Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
      Temporal_Keyword: Present

  Access_Constraints: none
  Use_Constraints: none

  Point_of_Contact:
    Contact_Information:
      Contact_Person_Primary:
        Contact_Person: Peter N. Schweitzer
      Contact_Address:
        Address_Type: mailing address
        Address:
          Mail Stop 955 National Center
          U.S. Geological Survey
          12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
        City: Reston
        State_or_Province: VA
        Postal_Code: 22092
        Country: USA
      Contact_Voice_Telephone: (703) 648-6533
      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (703) 648-6647
      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: pschweitzer@usgs.gov

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augna.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the Western North Atlantic Ocean.
      This file is available electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/na/gif/m_augna.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augnae.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the Eastern North Atlantic Ocean.
      This file is available electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/nae/gif/m_augnae.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augsa.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the South Atlantic Ocean.
      This file is available electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/sa/gif/m_augsa.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augag.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the Southeastern Atlantic
      and Southwestern Indian Oceans. This file is available
      electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/ag/gif/m_augag.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augio.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the Indian Ocean.
      This file is available electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/io/gif/m_augio.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augnep.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.
      This file is available electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/nep/gif/m_augnep.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augnwp.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.
      This file is available electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/nwp/gif/m_augnwp.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augsep.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the Southeast Pacific Ocean.
      This file is available electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/sep/gif/m_augsep.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Browse_Graphic:
    Browse_Graphic_File_Name: m_augswp.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
      August sea-surface temperature in the Southwest Pacific Ocean.
      This file is available electronically using the URL
      http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/cdrom/core/raw/swp/gif/m_augswp.gif
    Browse_Graphic_File_Type: GIF

  Native_Data_Set_Environment:
    This data set is provided on a single CD-ROM in ISO 9660 format
    with Macintosh-compatible HFS directory information as well.  The
    data set was developed on a Data General AViiON computer system
    running DG/UX version 5.4.2R01 (UNIX); additional software
    products provided on the CD-ROM were developed on a Macintosh IIci
    and on an IBM-compatible personal computer made by ZEOS, Inc.,
    running an Intel 80486 DX microprocessor.

  Cross_Reference:
    Citation_Information:
      Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
      Originator: Peter N. Schweitzer (comp.)
      Publication_Date: 1995
      Title: Monthly Average Polar Sea-Ice Concentration
      Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
      Series_Information:
        Series_Name: U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series
        Issue_Identification: DDS-27
      Online_Linkage: ftp://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/sea_ice
      Online_Linkage: http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/sea_ice/README.html

Data_Quality_Information:
  Attribute_Accuracy:
    Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
      Calculation of sea-surface temperature values from AVHRR
      data is described extensively in the references and in
      the user's guides of the source data products.

  Logical_Consistency_Report:
    Included in the data set are the UNIX shell scripts and makefiles
    that were used to derive the averages and create the tables and
    images.  Source code is provided for all programs written by the
    author.

  Completeness_Report:
    Included in the data set is a table enumerating the days for which
    sea-surface temperature data were available in the source material.
    In general, images were available every week during the time
    period from 811001 through 891231.

  Positional_Accuracy:
    Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
      Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
        The grid provided in the source data (supplied by PO.DAAC)
        is described in the user's guide of the source product.

  Lineage:
    Source_Information:
      Source_Citation:
        Citation_Information:
          Originator: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
          Publication_Date: 1991
          Title:
            NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
            Multichannel Sea Surface Temperature data set
            produced by the University of Miami/Rosenstiel
            School of Marine and Atmospheric Science:
          Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote-sensing image
          Other_Citation_Details:
            Distributed by the Distributed Active Archive
            Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
            California.  User's guide is 10 pages.  The data
            are distributed on 9 nin-track tapes in VAX Backup
            format.
      Source_Citation_Abbreviation: AVHRR MCSST
      Type_of_Source_Media: Nine-track tape
      Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
        Time_Period_Information:
          Range_of_Dates/Times:
            Beginning_Date: 19811001
            Ending_Date: 19891231
        Source_Currentness_Reference:
          Smith, E., 1991, A user's guide to the NOAA Advanced
          Very High Resolution Radiometer Multichannel Sea
          Surface Temperature data set produced by the
          University of Miami/Rosenstiel School of Marine and
          Atmospheric Science: Distributed by the Distributed
          Active Archive Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
          Pasadena, California. 10 p.
      Source_Contribution:
        The source data set provides 467 weekly images of each of
        nine regions of the world oceans; these weekly files were
        averaged in the present data set to produce monthly
        composite images.

    Process_Step:
      Process_Description:
        Calculate monthly averages and composite monthly averages.

        The Bourne shell script do_avgs describes the manner in
        which the program average was used to calculate the
        monthly and composite monthly average sea ice
        concentration files.  The program average is given a list
        of sea ice concentration data files in HDF format.  For
        each grid cell in the images, it calculates the arithmetic
        average of the corresponding cell in the input files, and
        writes the average image into a new file.  This program is
        run once for each month of each year represented in the
        original data to yield monthly averages.  Then the
        composite monthly averages are calculated using the
        monthly averages for each year.
      Process_Date: 1993

    Process_Step:
      Process_Description:
        Create GIF and PICT images of monthly and composite
        monthly averages.

        The Bourne shell script do_imgs converts the monthly
        average and composite monthly average files into GIF and
        PICT images.  This script uses two programs from the
        freely available PbmPlus toolkit developed by Jeff
        Poskanzer.
      Process_Date: 1993

    Process_Step:
      Process_Description:
        Regrid ETOPO5 elevation and bathymetry data to fit sea ice
        concentration grid.

        The ETOPO5 global gridded elevation and bathymetry data
        set describes world topography on a grid whose cells
        measure 5 minutes of latitude by 5 minutes of longitude.
        Since the ice concentration data are given in an azimuthal
        equidistant projection, the elevation of cells in the ice
        concentration grid must be determined by appropriately
        sampling or interpolating the ETOPO5 data.  Because the
        ETOPO5 grid is finer than the ice concentration grid, a
        sampling algorithm was combined with a spatial averaging
        scheme to derive the desired elevation data. The program
        that implements this algorithm is called topo.c; its
        strategy is to find the ice grid cell coordinates of the
        center of each ETOPO5 cell, and calculate the average
        depth of all of the ETOPO5 cells that fall within an ice
        grid cell.  The results are two 16-bit images with big-
        endian byte ordering in which each signed 16-bit word
        describes the average depth or elevation in meters (sea
        level is zero) of a cell in the ice concentration grid.

        Along with the 16-bit depth data files, displayable images
        are created using depthppm.c in portable pixmap format,
        and from that intermediate stage, GIF and PICT images are
        created using the PbmPlus toolkit.  Depthppm reduces the
        complexity of the depth data by assigning one color to a
        range of depths.  The relationship between depth ranges
        and colors is given in the source code file depthppm.c.

        The Bourne shell script do_topo carries out these operations.
      Process_Date: 1993

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
  Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Raster

  Raster_Object_Information:
    Raster_Object_Type: Pixel
    Row_Count: 512
    Column_Count: 512

Spatial_Reference_Information:
  Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
    Geographic:
      Latitude_Resolution: 0.01757812
      Longitude_Resolution: 0.01757812
      Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
  Detailed_Description:
    Entity_Type:
      Entity_Type_Label: Sea-surface temperature grid cell
      Entity_Type_Definition:
        Any of the one-byte data elements in the sea surface
        temperature files
      Entity_Type_Definition_Source: self-evident
    Attribute:
      Attribute_Label: Sea-surface temperature grid cell value
      Attribute_Definition:
        The average temperature, in degrees Celsius, of the ocean
        surface water in the location indicated by the pixel.
      Attribute_Definition_Source:
        Smith, E., 1991, A user's guide to the NOAA Advanced Very
        High Resolution Radiometer Multichannel Sea Surface
        Temperature data set produced by the University of Miami/
        Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science:
        Distributed by the Distributed Active Archive Center, Jet
        Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. 10 p.
      Attribute_Domain_Values:
        Range_Domain:
          Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
          Range_Domain_Maximum: 250
      Attribute_Units_of_Measure:
        Degrees Celsius (calculated from the pixel value by the
        formula T = -2.1 + 0.2 * p where p is the pixel value.
      Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 1
      Attribute_Domain_Values:
        Enumerated_Domain:
          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 252
          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Missing data
          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: AVHRR MCSST
      Attribute_Domain_Values:
        Enumerated_Domain:
          Enumerated_Domain_Value: 255
          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition: Land area
          Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source: AVHRR MCSST
  Detailed_Description:
    Entity_Type:
      Entity_Type_Label: ETOPO5 grid cell
      Entity_Type_Definition:
        Any of the two-byte data elements in the files etopo5.na,
        etopo5.sa, etopo5.nae, etopo5.ag, etopo5.io, etopo5.nep,
        etopo5.nwp, etopo5.sep, and etopo5.swp.
      Entity_Type_Definition_Source: self-evident
    Attribute:
      Attribute_Label: ETOPO5 grid cell value
      Attribute_Definition:
        Height of the land surface or depth of the sea floor,
        relative to mean sea level.
      Attribute_Definition_Source:
        NOAA/NGDC. 1992. Integrated Global Elevation and
        Bathymetry. Digital Data. NOAA/NGDC/WDC-A, Boulder,
        Colorado. Digital raster data on a 5-minute geographic
        (lat/long) 2160x4320 grid. In: Global Ecosystems Database
        Version 1.0: Disc A. Boulder, CO: NOAA National
        Geophysical Data Center. 1 independent single-attribute
        spatial layer on CD-ROM. 18.6 MB. [First published in
        1989.]
      Attribute_Domain_Values:
        Range_Domain:
          Range_Domain_Minimum: -10783
          Range_Domain_Maximum: 8000
      Attribute_Units_of_Measure: meters
      Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 1

Distribution_Information:
  Distributor:
    Contact_Information:
      Contact_Person_Primary:
        Contact_Person: Peter N. Schweitzer
      Contact_Address:
        Address_Type: mailing address
        Address:
          Mail Stop 955 National Center
          U.S. Geological Survey
          12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
        City: Reston
        State_or_Province: VA
        Postal_Code: 22092
        Country: USA
      Contact_Voice_Telephone: (703) 648-6533
      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (703) 648-6647
      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: pschweitzer@usgs.gov

  Resource_Description:
    U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS-10

  Distribution_Liability:
    Although all data and software published on this CD-ROM have been
    used by the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by
    the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and related materials or
    the functioning of the software.  The act of distribution shall
    not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed
    by the USGS in the use of these data, software, or related
    materials.

  Standard_Order_Process:
    Digital_Form:
      Digital_Transfer_Information:
        Format_Name: MRLE
        Format_Information_Content: Sea-Surface Temperature
        File_Decompression_Technique: Binary images compressed with modified RLE
      Digital_Transfer_Option:
        Online_Option:
          Computer_Contact_Information:
            Network_Address:
              Network_Resource_Name: ftp://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/
          Online_Computer_and_Operating_System:
            Data General AViiON 6220 system running DG/UX
            version 5.4.2R01 (UNIX)
    Digital_Form:
      Digital_Transfer_Information:
        Format_Name: BIL
        Format_Information_Content: Elevation and bathymetry
        Transfer_Size: 214 megabytes
      Digital_Transfer_Option:
        Online_Option:
          Computer_Contact_Information:
            Network_Address:
              Network_Resource_Name: ftp://geochange.er.usgs.gov/pub/magsst/
          Online_Computer_and_Operating_System:
            Data General AViiON 6220 system running DG/UX
            version 5.4.2R01 (UNIX)
    Fees: none

  Standard_Order_Process:
    Digital_Form:
      Digital_Transfer_Information:
        Format_Name: MRLE
        Format_Information_Content: Sea-Surface Temperature
        File_Decompression_Technique: Binary images compressed with modified RLE
      Digital_Transfer_Option:
        Offline_Option:
          Offline_Media: CD-ROM
          Recording_Format: ISO 9660 with Apple HFS extensions
    Digital_Form:
      Digital_Transfer_Information:
        Format_Name: BIL
        Format_Information_Content: Elevation and bathymetry
        Transfer_Size: 214 megabytes
      Digital_Transfer_Option:
        Offline_Option:
          Offline_Media: CD-ROM
          Recording_Format: ISO 9660 with Apple HFS extensions
    Fees: $32.00
    Ordering_Instructions:
      Contact address below:
      Book and Open-File Report Sales
      U.S. Geological Survey
      Denver Federal Center
      Box 25286
      Denver, CO 80225-0286

Metadata_Reference_Information:
  Metadata_Date: 19950512

  Metadata_Contact:
    Contact_Information:
      Contact_Person_Primary:
        Contact_Person: Peter N. Schweitzer
      Contact_Address:
        Address_Type: mailing address
        Address:
          Mail Stop 955 National Center
          U.S. Geological Survey
          12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
        City: Reston
        State_or_Province: VA
        Postal_Code: 22092
        Country: USA
      Contact_Voice_Telephone: (703) 648-6533
      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (703) 648-6647
      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: pschweitzer@usgs.gov

  Metadata_Standard_Name:
    FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

  Metadata_Standard_Version: 19940608
