SeaWiFS Global Binned Remote-Sensing Reflectance Data

OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-3 Global Binned Remote-Sensing Reflectance (RRS) Data provides the ratio of water-leaving radiance to downwelling irradiance just above the ocean surface, measured at specific spectral bands. The dataset, version 2022.0, is produced by OB_CLOUD and was last updated in December 2010. It serves as the foundational observable for deriving oceanographic products.

Use Cases

• Retrieve chlor_a concentrations using Rrs_443 and Rrs_555 band data.
• Calculate the diffuse attenuation coefficient Kd_490 from Rrs_490 and other spectral bands.
• Derive inherent optical properties (IOPs) from the suite of Rrs_λ variables.
• Validate water-quality algorithms in coastal zones by analyzing Rrs data flagged for land or sun glint.
• Study phytoplankton dynamics by examining time-series of Rrs_412 and Rrs_670 reflectance.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage from the SeaWiFS satellite mission.
• Includes per-file quality flags for land, cloud, sun glint, and high aerosol.

Limitations

• Data was last updated in 2010, making it temporally stale for current climate studies.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and column details are unknown.
• Quality documentation notes challenges in optically complex coastal and inland waters.

Provenance

Source

OB_CLOUD, sourced from NASA's OrbView-2 SeaWiFS mission.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing, processed to Level-3 binned geophysical data.

Freshness

Last updated 2010-12-11.

Geography

Global.