2008: Multidecade global flux datasets from the Objectively Analyzed Air-Sea Fluxes (OAFlux) Project: Latent and sensible heat fluxes, ocean evaporation, and related surface meteorological variables. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution OAFlux Project Tec

This report supports the release of the third version of global ocean-surface heat flux products (1958-2006) developed by the Objectively Analyzed air-sea Heat Fluxes (OAFlux) project. The OAFlux products are constructed not from a single data source, but from an optimal blending of satellite retrievals and three atmospheric reanalyses. Daily fluxes are computed from the optimally estimated variables using the COARE bulk flux algorithm 3.0. This report documents the methodology, strategy, and procedure used in developing the 49-year (1958-2006) analysis of global latent, sensible heat fluxes, and ocean evaporation. Error estimates for flux and related variable fields are provided. The report includes the comparisons with two ship-based climatologies, three model reanalyzed fluxes, and 107 in situ flux time series. OAFlux estimates are unbiased and have the smallest mean error: the mean OAFlux-buoy difference is of 1.0 Wm-2 and the mean difference in absolute measure is of 7.4 Wm-2. Monthly products are made for the entire 49-year period, and daily products are available from 1985 onward. The datasets are freely available to interested users for non-commercia