The new version of the Hamburg Ocean Atmosphere Parameters and Fluxes from Satellite Data set - HOAPS II - contains improved global fields of precipitation and evaporation over the oceans and all basic state variables needed for the derivation of the turbulent fluxes. Except for the NOAA Pathfinder SST data set, all variables are derived from SSM/I satellite data over the ice free oceans between 1987 and 2002. The earlier HOAPS version was improved and includes now the utilisation of multi-satellite averages with proper inter-satellite calibration, improved algorithms and a new ice detection procedure, resulting in more homogeneous and reliable spatial and temporal fields as before. The spatial resolution of 0.5 degree, makes them ideally suited for studies of climate variability over the global oceans. Pentade and climatological means are also public and available via the CERA database system. Further information under : http://www.hoaps.zmaw.de .