Global Daily Ocean Attenuation Coefficient Maps at 9km Resolution

2002-2003 daily global maps of the attenuation coefficient at 490nm, derived from the GLI sensor onboard the ADEOS-II satellite. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) produced this Level 3 Standard Mapped Image product with a spatial resolution of 9 kilometers. Data is projected onto an equidistant rectangular global grid and is also available in 8-day and 1-month statistical composites.

Use Cases

• Modeling spatial and temporal trends in water clarity using the daily 9km attenuation coefficient at 490nm values.
• Calibrating regional ocean color algorithms by comparing the global EQR-projected maps with in-situ measurements.
• Analyzing the carbon cycle by correlating attenuation coefficient data with other satellite-derived biological parameters.
• Assessing coastal water quality changes by examining the 1-day and 8-day composite statistics for specific regions.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage enables hemisphere-scale analysis.
• Multiple temporal aggregations (1-day, 8-day, 1-month) support trend analysis at different scales.
• Standard mapped image (Level 3) format provides geolocated, gridded data ready for analysis.
• Product is at Version 2, indicating a processed and validated release.

Limitations

• Data collection ended in 2003, limiting analysis to a specific historical period and not current conditions.
• The 9km spatial resolution is too coarse for studying small-scale coastal or inland water features.
• Unknown row/column count and file size make computational requirements difficult to estimate prior to download.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Collection Method

Remote sensing data from the Global Imager (GLI) optical sensor onboard the ADEOS-II satellite, processed into Level 3 binned and mapped products.

Time Range

2002 to 2003.

Freshness

Data collection period is 2002-2003; last metadata update was 2003-10-25.

Geography

Global.