Global Ocean Apparent Visible Wavelength Data from SeaWiFS Satellite

1997 to 2010 data from the OrbView-2 SeaWiFS satellite, processed by OB_CLOUD. It provides a global mapped Level-4 product for Apparent Visible Wavelength (AVW), a metric quantifying the spectral center of water-leaving radiance. This dataset is used for water-type classification and algorithm selection in ocean color analysis.

Use Cases

• Classify water types (e.g., oligotrophic vs. productive) using the avw metric as a primary feature.
• Guide selection or blending of chlorophyll-a retrieval algorithms based on regional avw values.
• Detect temporal changes in coastal optical complexity by analyzing avw time-series for specific geographic regions.
• Provide contextual analysis alongside other ocean variables like chlor_a or Kd_490 by correlating with the avw field.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage from satellite observations.
• Data spans over a decade from 1997 to 2010.
• Provides a single, focused geophysical variable (avw) for analysis.

Limitations

• Data collection ended in 2010, limiting analysis of recent oceanographic trends.
• Interpretation of the avw variable can be ambiguous in optically complex coastal and inland waters.
• Requires careful review of quality flags for cloud, glint, and aerosol contamination.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (OB_CLOUD), derived from the OrbView-2 SeaWiFS instrument.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data processed to Level-4 global mapped product.

Time Range

1997 to 2010

Freshness

Final update was in December 2010; dataset is not actively updated.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.