Background

NASA's Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) will produce analysis ready ocean color data products using the Sentinel-3A/B Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI). 

Status

The OBPG is producing ocean color products from OLCI on Sentinel-3A/B, which are available through NASA's Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC). These products include Level-2 (300-meter resolution) and Level-3 (global 4.6-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 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.

Solution Characteristics

Societal Impact

Ocean color data provides crucial insights into marine ecosystems and the effects of climate change and ocean acidification. This Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) activity 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

Need help using this solution? For more information, visit the following resources:

• NASA Ocean Color Data
• NASA Ocean Color Web
• Water Quality Products - SNWG Fact Sheet