EN1_MDSI_MER_RR__2P: Level-2 Geophysical Satellite Data

MERIS, a programmable spectroradiometer on the Envisat-1 satellite, provided global coverage every three days from 2002 until contact was lost in 2012. Its 2020 reprocessed Level-2 product contains 64 files per observation, including water-leaving, land surface, and top-of-atmosphere reflectance across 13 bands. This dataset supports integrated analysis of ocean, land, and atmospheric parameters from a single sensor.

Use Cases

• Monitoring chlorophyll concentration and water quality based on water-leaving reflectance measurements.
• Assessing vegetation health and land cover changes using land surface reflectance data.
• Estimating atmospheric aerosol optical thickness and other parameters from top-of-atmosphere reflectance.
• Conducting cross-domain environmental studies leveraging the dataset's combined ocean, land, and atmosphere measurements.

Strengths

• Contains 64 measurement files per product, including 13 dedicated to water-leaving reflectance, 13 to land surface reflectance, and 13 to top-of-atmosphere reflectance.
• Data was reprocessed in a 2020 cycle, suggesting improved calibration and consistency.
• Sensor had programmable bands, allowing for tailored spectral measurements.

Limitations

• Mission ended in 2012, limiting data to a historical range (2002-2012).
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata: one source lists 2012-04-08, another lists 2026-04-09.
• Specific column names and dataset size metrics (rows, file size) are not provided.

Provenance

Source

European Space Agency (ESA) Envisat-1 satellite, sensor MERIS.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via a push-broom imaging spectroradiometer.

Time Range

2002-03 to 2012-04

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:03:53.435455 (conflicts with mission end date)

Geography

Global coverage with a 1150 km swath width.