CYGNSS Level 3: Daily Ocean Microplastic Concentration Maps

The CYGNSS Level 3 Ocean Microplastic Concentration V3.2 dataset is provided by the CYGNSS Science Team at the University of Michigan for NASA. It contains daily gridded maps of microplastic number density (#/km^2) derived from satellite measurements of ocean surface roughness. The data is updated to version 3.2, using updated scattering cross section data and processing algorithms.

Use Cases

• Modeling global microplastic distribution patterns based on daily gridded concentration maps.
• Analyzing correlations between ocean surface roughness anomalies and pollution events based on the described empirical relationship.
• Monitoring potential pollution hotspots in regions like the Intertropical Convergence Zone based on the spatial grid coverage.
• Assessing the impact of anomalous events like oil spills or algal blooms on microplastic detection estimates based on the cautionary notes in the description.

Strengths

• Provides daily temporal resolution and a 0.25-degree latitude/longitude spatial grid.
• Derived from a constellation of eight micro-satellites offering nearly gap-free Earth coverage with a mean revisit time of seven hours.
• Version 3.2 uses updated Level 1 data and corrected processing parameterizations.

Limitations

• Microplastic concentration is indirectly estimated via an empirical relationship, and user caution is advised in regions with non-correlative factors affecting surface roughness.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

CYGNSS Science Team, University of Michigan; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Data gathered from the CYGNSS satellite constellation, with microplastic concentration indirectly estimated from ocean surface roughness measurements.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:24:24.239034; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage, with an orbital inclination of approximately 35° from the equator.