AVW quantifies the spectral center of water-leaving reflectance across the visible range, reported in nanometers. This dataset is produced by the OB_CLOUD organization and derived from the NOAA-20 satellite's VIIRS sensor. It is used for water-type classification, algorithm selection, and regional change detection in marine environments.
Use Cases
- Classify water types (e.g., oligotrophic vs. productive) using the `avw` variable as a spectral index.
- Guide chlorophyll-a algorithm selection by analyzing the `avw` value to infer optical water complexity.
- Detect regional changes in coastal water quality over time by tracking temporal trends in the `avw` time-series.
- Contextualize other ocean color products like chlor_a or Kd_490 by correlating them with the `avw` feature.
Strengths
- Derived from the VIIRS sensor on the NOAA-20 satellite, a known operational environmental satellite.
- Provides a globally mapped product for consistent spatial analysis of ocean color.
Limitations
- Interpretation of the `avw` variable can be ambiguous in optically complex coastal and inland waters.
- Requires review of quality flags for cloud, glint, and aerosol contamination, which are not detailed here.
- Specific row count, temporal coverage, and spatial resolution are unknown from the provided information.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Earthdata (OB_CLOUD organization), from NOAA-20 VIIRS sensor.
- Collection Method
- Satellite remote sensing, processing of Level-4 mapped ocean color data.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Global ocean coverage.