Daily Chlorophyll Maps of the North Sea from MERIS Satellite

MERIS data from ESA's ENVISAT satellite provides daily maps of chlorophyll concentration in the North Sea. The product was developed by DLR-DFD and the GKSS Institute for Coastal Research within the MAPP project. Data was pre-processed by DFD and last updated in March 2010.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial and temporal trends in chlorophyll-a concentration across the North Sea.
• Correlate daily chlorophyll maps with sea surface temperature or nutrient data from other sources.
• Validate and calibrate biogeochemical ocean models using satellite-derived chlorophyll estimates.
• Monitor phytoplankton blooms and assess water quality changes on a daily basis.

Strengths

• Data has a high spatial resolution of 300 meters per pixel.
• Spectral data covers the visible-near infrared region from 412 to 900 nm.
• Provides daily temporal frequency for monitoring rapid changes.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with the last known update in March 2010.
• Specific sample size, row count, and geographic bounds are not provided in the input.
• Product generation depended on receiving and checking suitable MERIS data, which may lead to gaps.

Provenance

Source

Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) on ESA's ENVISAT satellite.

Collection Method

Spectral imaging in the visible-near infrared, processed by DLR-DFD and GKSS Institute for Coastal Research under the MAPP project.

Freshness

Daily frequency, but last updated 2010-03-18.

Geography

North Sea region.