How can I convert ascii (from the table associated with the scalebar) values from SST to degrees celsius?

The information you need is stored in the data file.  For example, the
following is an excerpt from the ncdump command distributed with
SeaDAS and by NCSA.

ncdump -h A2006241070000.L2_LAC_SST
        .
        .
        .
        short sst(Number_of_Scan_Lines, Pixels_per_Scan_Line) ;
                sst:long_name = "Sea Surface Temperature" ;
                sst:slope = 0.0049999999f ;
                sst:intercept = 0.f ;
                sst:units = "degrees-C" ;
        .
        .
        .

So, to convert a 16-bit pixel value [-32768,32767] to degrees Celsius just
do the following.

     temp = 0.005 * pixval

If you have 8-bit data [0,255] such as you find in our browse files, the information
is also stored there.

ncdump -h A2006241070000.L2_LAC_SST_BRS
        .
        .
        .
                :Scaling = "linear" ;
                :Scaling_Equation = "Slope*brs_data + Intercept = sea surface temp" ;
                :Base = 10.f ;
                :Slope = 0.18799999f ;
                :Intercept = -2.f ;
        .
        .
        .

From this you get:

     temp = 0.188*pixval - 2


Regards,

Norman

Thank you!!