This SST data is picked from NCAR ds277.3: 
Hadley Centre Global Sea Ice and Sea Surface 
Temperature (HadISST) Analyses:
http://dss.ucar.edu/datasets/ds277.3/
data format is describled in 
HadSST.html and
Hadsst-v1.1-monthly-1870-present.ctl

for FORTRAN users, use following open format:


      parameter (lons=360,lats=180, months=1600)

c     Longitude from 179.5w, 178.5w.... 179.5E
c     Latitude from 89.5S, 88.5S........89.5N
C     Time from 1/1870 to 4/2002

      dimension sst(lons,lats)

      open(8,file='data/Hadsst-v1.1-monthly-1870-present.dat',
     &       form='unformatted',access='sequential')

      do k=1,months
      write(8) ((sst(i,j),i=1,lons),j=1,lats)
      enddo

*    The detail data  arrangement can be also seen in GRADS control file:
     Hadsst-v1.1-monthly-1870-present.ctl




Yongsheng Zhang (yshzhang@hawaii.edu), July 23, 2003