IMOS - NOAA20 VIIRS: Daily Diffuse Attenuation Coefficient (Kd490) for Ocean Waters

Australian Ocean Data Network provides satellite-derived measurements of the diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490nm wavelength (Kd490). The data is produced from the NOAA20 satellite's VIIRS sensor using a semi-empirical model based on water-leaving radiance ratios. It was last updated on 2026-07-13.

Use Cases

• Modeling primary productivity in ocean ecosystems based on light attenuation data.
• Monitoring coastal water quality and turbidity changes over time.
• Calibrating and validating bio-optical algorithms for satellite ocean color products.

Strengths

• Data is derived from the NOAA20 satellite's VIIRS sensor, a specific operational platform.
• Algorithm methodology is documented at a referenced NASA Ocean Color web page.
• Last update timestamp is precisely recorded as 2026-07-13 20:28:11.059924.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total data size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic or temporal bias inherent to the data_gov_au source and satellite coverage.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the NOAA20 platform's VIIRS sensor, processed with a semi-empirical model.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 20:28:11.059924; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Likely covers ocean areas observed by the NOAA20 satellite, but specific spatial coverage is not detailed.