Global satellite-based estimates of downwelling solar radiation in the 400–700 nm range available for photosynthesis at the ocean surface. The data quantifies daily usable light energy in moles of photons per square meter and is produced by the OB_CLOUD organization. It supports research on marine primary production and phytoplankton bloom dynamics.
Use Cases
- Estimating marine primary production based on daily photosynthetically available radiation.
- Interpreting phytoplankton bloom dynamics based on satellite-derived light energy measurements.
- Providing context for optical and biogeochemical measurements based on surface PAR data.
- Supporting ecosystem models based on quantified usable light energy.
Strengths
- Data provides estimates for a specific geophysical variable (daily PAR).
- The data suite is derived from satellite remote sensing, offering global coverage.
- The description specifies the physical unit of measurement (mol photons m⁻² d⁻¹).
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
Provenance
- Source
- OB_CLOUD
- Collection Method
- Satellite remote sensing from the NOAA-20 VIIRS instrument.
- Geography
- Global