Global Ocean Particulate Inorganic Carbon Concentration from ADEOS-I OCTS

ADEOS-I OCTS Level-3 Global Mapped Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC) Data provides a global map of calcite concentration derived from ocean-color reflectance. The dataset, version 2022.0, was produced by OB_CLOUD using the Balch & Gordon algorithm. The primary geophysical variable is particulate inorganic carbon (PIC), used to detect coccolithophore blooms and assess carbonate cycling.

Use Cases

• Detect and quantify coccolithophore blooms by analyzing spatial and temporal patterns in the 'pic' concentration field.
• Assess marine carbonate cycling by correlating the 'pic' variable with other oceanographic parameters like chlor_a and SST.
• Study optical backscatter in ocean waters using the 'pic' concentration as a key input for bio-optical models.
• Provide biogeochemical context for ocean productivity studies by integrating the 'pic' data suite with chlorophyll-a and PAR measurements.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage from the ADEOS-I OCTS sensor.
• Data product is a processed, geophysical Level-3 mapped variable (pic).
• Algorithm is specifically designed for particulate inorganic carbon retrieval (Balch & Gordon).

Limitations

• Uncertainties increase in optically complex coastal and inland waters.
• Data quality can be degraded under conditions of high aerosol load or sun glint.
• The underlying satellite mission (ADEOS-I) ended in 1997, limiting temporal coverage to that era.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (OB_CLOUD).

Collection Method

Derived from ocean-color reflectance measured by the ADEOS-I Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) using the Balch & Gordon algorithm.

Time Range

Coverage corresponds to the ADEOS-I mission, with a last updated timestamp of 1997-06-30.

Freshness

Data version is 2022.0, but the source observations are from 1997.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.