NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-3 Global Binned Photosynthetically Available Radiation (PAR) Data provides satellite-based estimates of downwelling solar radiation in the 400–700 nm range available for photosynthesis at the ocean surface. The data suite quantifies daily or instantaneous usable light energy, expressed in moles of photons m⁻², and is used to estimate marine primary production and interpret phytoplankton bloom dynamics. The data originates from the OB_CLOUD organization via the NASA Earthdata platform.
Use Cases
- Estimate marine primary production based on daily photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) measurements.
- Interpret phytoplankton bloom dynamics based on satellite-derived light energy availability.
- Provide context for in-situ optical and biogeochemical measurements based on surface PAR data.
- Support ecosystem models of light–biology interactions in the ocean based on PAR estimates.
Strengths
- Data provides estimates for a specific and biologically relevant light spectrum (400–700 nm).
- The primary geophysical variable (par) is defined with a specific unit (mol photons m⁻² d⁻¹).
- Data is described as being widely used for estimating marine primary production and supporting ecosystem models.
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 via NASA Earthdata (nasa_earthdata).
- Collection Method
- Satellite remote sensing from the NOAA-21 VIIRS instrument.
- Geography
- Global, binned data at the ocean surface.