Global Aerosol Optical Thickness Map from GCOM-C Satellite

GCOM-C/SGLI L3 Map Aerosol optical thickness data is produced by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from the SGLI sensor onboard the GCOM-C satellite. This Level 3 product provides 8-day, map-projected global statistics of aerosol optical thickness at a 1/12-degree spatial resolution. The dataset integrates measurements over ocean and land from the satellite launched in December 2017.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal trends in the average (AVE) aerosol optical thickness values to study pollution events or volcanic eruptions.
• Mapping global aerosol distribution by processing the quality flag (QA_flag) layer to filter reliable measurements.
• Validating and calibrating climate models using the integrated aerosol optical thickness over ocean (AOTO) and land (AOTL, AOTP) data fields.
• Correlating 8-day statistical periods of aerosol data with other environmental variables for seasonal climate studies.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage from a satellite with a swath width of 1150-1400 km.
• Provides data at a 1/12-degree spatial resolution.
• Integrates three specific aerosol products (AOTO, AOTL, AOTP) into a single version 3 dataset.
• Offers statistical products at 1-day, 8-day, and 1-month temporal aggregations.

Limitations

• Specific row count, sample size, and temporal depth of the archive are unknown.
• Data quality is contingent on the QA_flag layer, which may mask areas with poor retrieval conditions.
• The 8-day composite period may smooth out short-lived, high-impact aerosol events.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Collection Method

Derived from Level 1B and Level 2 products from the SGLI sensor on the GCOM-C satellite, statistically processed in time and space.

Time Range

Coverage begins after the satellite launch on December 23, 2017; specific end date is unknown.

Freshness

Update frequency is tied to satellite operations; the current product version is Version 3.

Geography

Global coverage.