The Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) is an element of the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). The EOSDIS provides science data to a wide community of users for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
Since the launch of NASA's first ocean-observing satellite, Seasat, in 1978, PO.DAAC has become the premier data center for measurements focused on ocean surface topography (OST), sea surface temperature (SST), ocean winds, sea surface salinity (SSS), gravity, ocean circulation and sea ice.In addition to providing access to its data holdings, PO.DAAC acts as a gateway to data stored at other ocean and climate archives. This and other tools and services enable PO.DAAC to support a wide user community working in areas such as ocean and climate research, applied science and industry, natural resource management, policy making, and general public consumption.