Global Phytoplankton Carbon Concentration from SeaWiFS Satellite

Phytoplankton carbon concentration data is derived from NASA's OrbView-2 SeaWiFS ocean-color satellite observations. The dataset, version 2022.0, is produced by OB_CLOUD and was last updated in the system on December 11, 2010. It supports the quantification of marine biomass and carbon stocks.

Use Cases

• Quantify global ocean biomass stocks by analyzing the `carbon_phyto` concentration field.
• Assess ecosystem productivity changes over time by tracking the `carbon_phyto` time-series.
• Drive biogeochemical models by using the `carbon_phyto` variable as a biological input parameter.
• Provide biological context for marine studies by correlating `carbon_phyto` with chlorophyll, PAR, and SST data.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage from satellite observations.
• Derived from NASA's established SeaWiFS ocean-color mission.

Limitations

• Data may have reduced accuracy in optically complex coastal and inland waters.
• The underlying satellite mission (SeaWiFS) ended in 2010, limiting temporal recency for contemporary studies.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and resolution details are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NASA ocean-color observations from the OrbView-2 SeaWiFS mission.

Collection Method

Derived product generated from satellite remote sensing data.

Freshness

Data version is 2022.0, but the last system update recorded was 2010-12-11.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.