Western North Pacific Sea Surface Temperatures (wnpsstnorm)

10-day mean analyzed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) since January 1950 to 
the latest 10-day for each one degree latitudinal and
longitudinal square from 100E to 180E between the equator and 60N.

Here, the '10-day' is determined as follows.  Three '10-day' analyses are
made in each month, and the first 10-day is from the first to the 10th day
of the month, the second is from 11th to 20th and the third is from 21st
to the last day of the month.

The 10-day mean SSTs are analyzed at the Office of Marine Prediction, the
JMA, based on in situ SST data compiled by the JMA for a period from 1961 to
the latest 10-day.  The Compressed Marine Report of the Comprehensive Ocean-
Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration of the United States of America are also used in a period from
1946 to 1986.  Since 1998, NOAA/AVHRR data have also been used for the region
in adjacent to Japan, from 120E to 160E between 20N and 50N.  The NOAA/AVHRR 
data are received and processed at the Meteorological Satellite Center of 
the JMA.  AQUA/AMSR-E have been introduced in the analysis since April 2004,
and the coverage of NOAA/AVHRR data were extended to the whole analysis area.
AQUA/AMSR-E data are provided by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
NOAA/AVHRR Global Area Coverage data are provided by National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration.
 
    Two datasets with different normals are available. 
 "wnpsstnorm 2010"; the normals from 1981 to 2010
 "wnpsstnorm 2000"; the normals from 1971 to 2000

Data format
  The each 10-day mean data set consists of 61 records, one header record
and following 60 data records from north to south.   The header record
contains the year and the serial number of 10-day period in the year, as
explained above as yyyy and jj with a FORTRAN format 2I4.  Each data record
is written as 80I3 from west to east, with unit in 0.1C.   That is, the first
value of the first data record is for the grid centered at 59.5 degree North
and 100.5 degree East, and the last value of the last data record is for
that at 0.5 degree North and 179.5 degree East, respectively.  '999' and 
'888' denote the region of land and sea ice, respectively. '777' is placed on
the grid where a temperature value cannot be determined. The each monthly
normals consists of 2 blocks, each block have the same format with the each
block of the 10-day mean data set. Year '9999' in the header record of block
shows the block of normal and '8888' shows the block of standard deviation.

For further information, please contact the Regional Real Time Data Base at
neargoos@climar.kishou.go.jp