Global Ocean Attenuation Coefficient Maps from ADEOS-II Satellite

ADEOS-II/GLI L3 STA Map Attenuation coefficient at 490nm provides global measurements of ocean light attenuation. The dataset is produced by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from the GLI sensor onboard the ADEOS-II satellite, with the last update recorded in October 2003. It offers 8-day statistical composites at a 9 km spatial resolution.

Use Cases

• Modeling primary productivity by analyzing the attenuation coefficient at 490nm as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass.
• Monitoring coastal water quality trends using the 8-day composite maps of light attenuation.
• Calibrating ocean color algorithms by comparing the 9 km resolution attenuation data with in-situ measurements.
• Studying spatial and temporal patterns in ocean turbidity from the global, EQR-projected maps.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage for comprehensive oceanographic analysis.
• Provides data at multiple temporal resolutions: 1-day, 8-day, and 1-month statistics.
• Standardized Level 3 binned and mapped product in HDF format.

Limitations

• Data collection ended with the ADEOS-II mission, so the temporal range is fixed and not current.
• Spatial resolution of 9 km may be too coarse for studying fine-scale coastal or estuarine processes.
• Product is at Version 2, with no information on subsequent validation or updates.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) via the ADEOS-II/GLI sensor.

Collection Method

Remote sensing observations from the GLI optical sensor, processed from Level 3 binned products and projected onto an EQR map.

Time Range

Coverage corresponds to the ADEOS-II mission lifetime, culminating in 2003.

Freshness

Static dataset; last updated 2003-10-25.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.