EN1_MDSI_MER_FRS_1P: MERIS Level-1 Full Resolution TOA Radiance

Global satellite imagery from the European Space Agency's Envisat-1 MERIS sensor, providing calibrated top-of-atmosphere radiance measurements across 15 spectral bands from 390 nm to 1040 nm. The instrument had a 1150 km swath width, achieving global coverage every 3 days at a 300-meter spatial resolution. Data collection occurred from March 2002 until the mission's end in April 2012, with products reprocessed in 2020.

Use Cases

• Monitoring ocean color and phytoplankton concentrations based on calibrated radiance in visible and near-infrared bands.
• Analyzing land surface reflectance and vegetation indices using programmable spectral band data.
• Studying cloud properties and atmospheric aerosols from top-of-atmosphere radiance measurements across 15 spectral channels.
• Conducting long-term environmental change analysis using a decadal time series of global, geolocated imagery.

Strengths

• Provides data from a sensor with programmable spectral bands, allowing for tailored scientific observations.
• Offers a decadal time series (2002-2012) of global environmental observations.
• Includes 22 structured data files per product (15 radiance bands with error estimates, 7 annotation files, and a manifest) for detailed analysis.
• Data underwent a 4th reprocessing cycle in 2020, likely improving calibration and consistency.

Limitations

• The dataset's active collection period ended in 2012, limiting its use for contemporary monitoring.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific license terms are not provided across sources.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date (2026 vs. 2012), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

European Space Agency (ESA) via the Envisat-1 satellite, hosted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Collection Method

Collected by the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) push-broom imaging spectroradiometer.

Time Range

2002-03 to 2012-04-08

Freshness

2026-04-10 03:21:09.497612 (from datagov, conflicting with nasa_earthdata's 2012 date)

Geography

Global