CYGNSS L3: Ocean Microplastic Concentration Maps

18 netCDF files provide daily gridded maps of microplastic number density (#/km^2). The data record is produced by NASA's CYGNSS mission using an empirical relationship between ocean surface roughness and wind speed. User caution is advised in regions with non-correlative factors affecting surface roughness.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global ocean microplastic pollution based on daily gridded maps
• Analyzing spatiotemporal patterns of marine debris based on 0.25-degree latitude/longitude spatial grids
• Studying the relationship between ocean surface roughness and pollutant concentration based on the empirical model
• Identifying regions with anomalous surface roughness signals potentially linked to oil spills or algal blooms

Strengths

• Data is provided on a daily temporal grid and a 0.25-degree latitude/longitude spatial grid
• The product is derived from satellite observations by NASA's CYGNSS mission
• The description specifies a 30-day, 1-degree feature resolution for the underlying MSS anomaly data

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• The method relies on an indirect empirical estimate, and accuracy may be affected by non-correlative factors like algal blooms or oil spills
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Indirect estimation via empirical relationship between ocean surface roughness and wind speed from CYGNSS satellite data.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:25:23.417159; freshness should be verified

Geography

Global ocean coverage, likely constrained by CYGNSS satellite observation range.