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.
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.
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. The lines across the water are ocean currents – they show which way the sea is moving and how fast. 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.
- Polar bearsUnder 13°C55°F
- Get a wetsuit13–18°C55–64°F
- Refreshing18–23°C64–73°F
- Beach day23–28°C73–82°F
- BathtubAbove 28°C82°F