OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-4 Global Binned Garver-Siegel-Maritorena (GSM) Data provides ocean-color fields derived by inverting water-leaving reflectance with a semi-analytical model. The dataset retrieves multiple optical properties simultaneously, including absorption by gelbstoff and detrital material, particulate backscattering, and chlorophyll-a concentration. The data was last updated by OB_CLOUD in December 2010.
Use Cases
- Modeling phytoplankton biomass by analyzing the global distribution of the chl_gsm (chlorophyll-a concentration) variable.
- Studying dissolved organic matter dynamics using the adg_443_gsm (absorption by gelbstoff and detrital material) field.
- Analyzing particulate scattering in seawater through the bbp_443_gsm (particulate backscattering) parameter.
- Comparing the performance of the GSM model's multi-property retrieval against simple band-ratio chlorophyll algorithms.
- Investigating spatial and temporal patterns in bio-optical properties derived from the GSM inversion of SeaWiFS reflectance spectra.
Strengths
- Derived from the SeaWiFS sensor on the OrbView-2 satellite, a primary source for ocean color data.
- Provides three core geophysical variables (adg_443_gsm, bbp_443_gsm, chl_gsm) per spatial bin from a physics-based model.
- Offers a global, binned (Level-4) product, indicating spatially and temporally aggregated data.
Limitations
- Data recency is limited, with a last update timestamp from December 2010.
- Specific row count, file size, and spatial/temporal resolution details are unknown.
- The dataset's license terms and exact file formats are unspecified.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Earthdata (OB_CLOUD), derived from OrbView-2 SeaWiFS sensor data.
- Collection Method
- Ocean-color fields derived by inverting water-leaving reflectance with the Garver–Siegel–Maritorena (GSM) semi-analytical model.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- Last updated on 2010-12-11; update frequency is null.
- Geography
- Global coverage, as indicated by the 'Global Binned' title.