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Ocean Color Data Access and Tools

NASA has ocean color datasets that help researchers study the composition of ocean water and the processes that take place within it. Access a range of data and data tools such as AppEEARS, SeaDAS, and Giovanni to make the most of ocean color data.

Ocean Color Datasets

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Dataset Version Platform Instrument Temporal Extent Spatial Extent Spatial Resolution Data Format
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-2 Regional Ocean Color (OC) - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-2 Regional Ocean Color (OC) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-4 Global Binned Apparent Visible Wavelength (AVW) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-4 Global Mapped Apparent Visible Wavelength (AVW) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-1A Global Area Coverage (GAC) Data, version 2 2 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-1A Merged Local Area Coverage (MLAC) Data, version 2 2 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-2 Regional Global Area Coverage (GAC) Ocean Color (OC) Data, version 2022.0 2022.0 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-2 Regional Merged Local Area Coverage (MLAC) Ocean Color (OC) Data, version 2022.0 2022.0 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-4 Global Binned Apparent Visible Wavelength (AVW) Data, version 2022.0 2022.0 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-4 Global Mapped Apparent Visible Wavelength (AVW) Data, version 2022.0 2022.0 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-2 Regional Aerosol Over Land Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 4.0 4.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-2 Regional Aerosol Over Land Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm Data, version 4.0 4.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-2 Regional Aerosol Over Ocean Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 3.0 3.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-2 Regional Aerosol Over Ocean Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 4.0 4.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-2 Regional Aerosol Over Ocean Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm Data, version 3.0 3.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-2 Regional Aerosol Over Ocean Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm Data, version 4.0 4.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-3 Global Mapped Aerosol Over Land Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 4.0 4.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-3 Global Mapped Aerosol Over Land Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm Data, version 4.0 4.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-3 Global Mapped Aerosol Over Ocean Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 3.0 3.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-3 Global Mapped Aerosol Over Ocean Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 4.0 4.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-3 Global Mapped Aerosol Over Ocean Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm Data, version 3.0 3.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE HARP2 Level-3 Global Mapped Aerosol Over Ocean Optical Properties, FastMAPOL Algorithm Data, version 4.0 4.0 PACE HARP2 2024-02-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE OCI Level-2 Regional Apparent Optical Properties - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 3.1 3.1 PACE OCI 2024-03-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE OCI Level-2 Regional Apparent Optical Properties - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 3.2 3.2 PACE OCI 2024-03-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
PACE OCI Level-2 Regional Apparent Optical Properties Data, version 3.1 3.1 PACE OCI 2024-03-05 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
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Featured Ocean Color Observation Method: PACE

NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) platform measures the presence of phytoplankton, which are microscopic marine algae that can tint the ocean green and other colors. Phytoplankton function like plants in the ocean because they take up carbon dioxide and use it in photosynthesis to produce carbohydrates and oxygen. Phytoplankton help form the base of the ocean's food chain and are a key component of the carbon cycle. PACE and its optical spectrometer called the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) can observe light reflected by phytoplankton and the ocean in unprecedented detail to provide essential data on its condition and health.

Learn More About PACE
This is an image showing simulated chlorophyll concentrations in the ocean on March 21, 2022. The image has a black background. Regions colored in blue represent areas of low chlorophyll concentration, green are medium, and red areas have high levels. The image has strips of black running through the colored areas from the upper left to the lower right to show PACE’s orbital track around the globe and places across the ocean where it has not scanned.

Preparing for PACE Data

Simulated data help Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) users prepare a day in the life of the new satellite.
6 MIN READ
This rectangular image shows phytoplankton levels along Florida and the East Coast of the United States, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Land is colored in muted shades of brown and green, water is dark blue, and snow is white. Nearshore are bands of light to dark green depicting picoeukaryote organism levels. Further out to sea are regions in variations of light blue showing the presences of prochlorococcus cyanobacteria.

New PACE Data Tutorials

A series of Jupyter notebook tutorials show how to retrieve and use data from NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission.

Ocean Color Data Tools

View All Data Tools
Tool Description Services
Ocean Color Level 3 and 4 Browser The Ocean Color Level 3 and 4 Browser allows users to view, download, or order global composites at various spatial and temporal scales (level 3) or get results from analyses of lower-level data (level 4). Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization
SeaDAS Sea, earth, atmosphere Data Analysis System (SeaDAS) is a comprehensive image analysis package for the processing, display, analysis, and quality control of ocean color data. Analysis, Visualization, Processing
SHOWING 2 OF 2

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