Ocean & Sea Surface Temperature Map
An interactive map of sea temperatures worldwide, updated daily from NASA, Copernicus and University of Bremen satellite data - warm seas in red, cool and polar waters in blue, sea ice in white, with ocean currents traced across the surface. The lake button adds lake temperatures from the same NASA data.
What sea surface temperature means
Sea surface temperature is the temperature of the ocean's upper layer – the part satellites measure and the part a swimmer actually meets. It drives the weather over the sea, and it is the first thing you notice when you step in. It also shifts through the day: the sun warms the top metre or two, and the night takes that heat back. Satellites read the ocean at night, free of that daily swing, so this map adds the warming back hour by hour.
Where the data comes from
Sea temperatures come from NASA's MUR analysis, a satellite blend on a roughly 1 km grid that is rebuilt every day. Copernicus Marine contributes the ocean currents and the 10-day forecast model, and an hourly step follows the sea's own warming through the day. Sea ice comes from the University of Bremen's AMSR2 analysis on a roughly 3 km grid.
Ocean, sea or water temperature?
People search for the same number under different names. Ocean temperature, sea temperature and water temperature all describe the top layer of the sea – the layer you swim in. This map shows temperatures across every ocean and sea on Earth, from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans to smaller seas such as the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Red Sea. Water near the coast can be a few degrees warmer or cooler than in the open ocean, so the map has a resolution of about 1 km. Each beach page shows the temperature at its own swimming spot, just offshore.
How to read the map
Colour is temperature. Red water is warm, blue water is cool, and white is sea ice, where the surface has frozen. Tap anywhere at sea to get the temperature at that exact point. The five bands below tell you what each temperature actually feels like in the water. The play button in the map legend replays the last 3 months, so you can watch the sea warm up and cool down. Lines across the water show the ocean currents – which way the sea is moving and how fast. With Sea Temp Premium the replay goes back 6 or 12 months.
- Polar bears Under 13°C / 55°F
- Get a wetsuit 13–18°C / 55–64°F
- Refreshing 18–23°C / 64–73°F
- Beach day 23–28°C / 73–82°F
- Bathtub Above 28°C / 82°F