Global Monthly Phytoplankton Size Class Climatology from SeaWiFS

A 10-year monthly climatology from September 1997 to 2007 provides fractional contributions of micro-, nano-, and picoplankton globally. The dataset, produced by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory using SeaWiFS satellite data, supports the quantification of the oceanic organic carbon cycle. It is designed to improve models of ocean primary production and the role of biological processes in the carbon cycle.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean primary production based on phytoplankton absorption coefficients and size structure.
• Quantifying global oceanic organic carbon fluxes using partitioned phytoplankton data.
• Analyzing environmental variability using phytoplankton size class as an indicator.
• Validating satellite-derived ocean color algorithms for phytoplankton functional types.

Strengths

• Provides a decadal (10-year) monthly climatology, offering a stable baseline for analysis.
• Covers the entire globe, enabling global-scale biogeochemical studies.
• Derived from established SeaWiFS satellite data and produced by a recognized laboratory (PML).

Limitations

• Specific column names, data size, and row counts are not provided in the metadata.
• The temporal coverage ends in 2007, limiting analysis of recent oceanographic changes.
• Metadata lists a future 'last updated' date (2026-07-08), which is inconsistent and suggests potential data management issues.

Provenance

Source

Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) using SeaWiFS satellite data.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing analysis to derive phytoplankton size class fractions.

Time Range

September 1997 to 2007

Freshness

2026-07-08 13:32:43.932638

Geography

Global