Background
Ocean color products produced from the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) on Sentinel-3 A/3B are available through the Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC). They include Level 2 (300 m resolution) and Level 3 (global 1.2 km resolution), as derived using standard NASA ocean color algorithms and the NASA vicarious calibration approach to minimize bias between OLCI products and the standard ocean color time-series derived from Sea-viewing Wide Field of View Sensor (SeaWIFS), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instruments.
The datasets were reprocessed in 2022 to further improve the quality and consistency of the OLCI products (additional information is available on Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B reprocessing). The Level 2 and Level 3 processing capability is also distributed as open source software through the Sea, earth, atmosphere Data Analysis System (SeaDAS) software package.
These products are used by agencies including NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as well as various state agencies, for applications such as assessment of water quality, detection of harmful algal blooms in coastal and inland waters, management of fisheries and aquaculture health, and detection of macroalgae with consideration for its impact on coastal tourism. These products are also used by the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN).
Status: Available Now
The solution has been completed with data available through OB.DAAC.
Solution Characteristics
| Products | Ocean Color Data (OC) | Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) | Chlorophyll (CHL) | Diffuse Attenuation Coefficient for Downwelling Irradiance (KD) | Remote Sensing Reflectance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of available products | 6 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Platform | Sentinel-3A/B | Sentinel-3A/B | Sentinel-3A/B | Sentinel-3A/B | Sentinel-3A/B |
| Instrument | OLCI | OLCI | OLCI | OLCI | OLCI |
| Sensor Type | Visible/Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer | Visible/Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer | Visible/Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer | Visible/Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer | Visible/Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer |
| Processing Level | 2 | 2 and 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Temporal Coverage | Sentinel-3A: April 25, 2016 - Present Sentinel-3B: April 25, 2018 - Present | Sentinel-3A: April 25, 2016 - Present Sentinel-3B: April 25, 2018 - Present | Sentinel-3A: April 25, 2016 - Present Sentinel-3B: April 25, 2018 - Present | Sentinel-3A: April 25, 2016 - Present Sentinel-3B: April 25, 2018 - Present | Sentinel-3A: April 25, 2016 - Present Sentinel-3B: April 25, 2018 - Present |
| Revisit Time | Less than 2 days Note: Sentinel-3A/B combined for OLCI | Less than 2 days Note: Sentinel-3A/B combined for OLCI | Less than 2 days Note: Sentinel-3A/B combined for OLCI | Less than 2 days Note: Sentinel-3A/B combined for OLCI | Less than 2 days Note: Sentinel-3A/B combined for OLCI |
| Latency | Near real-time (NRT)*: 1-4 days Final: Approximately 45 days | NRT*: 1-4 days Final: Approximately 45 days | NRT*: 1-4 days Final: Approximately 45 days | NRT*: 1-4 days Final: Approximately 45 days | NRT*: 1-4 days Final: Approximately 45 days |
| Spatial Coverage | Global | Global | Global | Global | Global |
| Spatial Resolution | 300 m and 1200 m (original swath) | L2: 300 m and 1200 m (original swath) L3: 4.6 km (binned) or 4 km and 9 km (mapped) | 4.6 km (binned) or 4 km and 9 km (mapped) | 4.6 km (binned) or 4 km and 9 km (mapped) | 4.6 km (binned) or 4 km and 9 km (mapped) |
| Data Format | NetCDF4 | NetCDF4 | NetCDF4 | NetCDF4 | NetCDF4 |
*NRT is not available for 300 m (full resolution) L2 OC and IOP products
Societal Impact
Ocean color data provides crucial insights into marine ecosystems and the effects of ocean acidification. This Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) solution supports the monitoring and management of coastal water quality and marine protected areas, providing essential information used to protect human and ecosystem health and for aquatic ecosystem modeling.
Solution Resources
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