S-MODE PRISM: Airborne Ocean Reflectance for Sub-Mesoscale Dynamics

S-MODE PRISM Level 2a Reflectance Version 1 provides atmospherically corrected water-leaving reflectance data from an airborne imaging spectrometer. The dataset was collected during the Fall 2022 IOP1 campaign approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco to study sub-mesoscale ocean dynamics. It features high spatial resolution capable of resolving features as small as 30 cm across near-UV to near-IR wavelengths (350-1050 nm).

Use Cases

• Analyzing sub-mesoscale ocean dynamics and their influence on vertical exchange based on high-resolution reflectance imagery.
• Validating satellite ocean color products using co-aligned SWIR radiometer data for atmospheric correction.
• Studying phytoplankton distributions and ocean optics from water-leaving reflectance across 350-1050 nm wavelengths.
• Mapping fine-scale oceanographic features with 30 cm spatial resolution from airborne pushbroom spectrometer data.

Strengths

• Provides high spatial resolution data capable of resolving features as small as 30 cm.
• Includes atmospherically corrected reflectance using a co-aligned two-channel SWIR radiometer (1240 nm and 1640 nm).
• Covers a broad spectral range from near 350 nm to 1050 nm for detailed ocean color analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column structure is unavailable across all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2023-05 10 and 2026-04-09) create uncertainty about dataset currency.
• Data format (ENVI) and associated files (BIN, PDF, ISO, HTML) suggest specialized software is required for access and analysis.

Provenance

Source

Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM) mounted on a GIII aircraft, part of the Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE).

Collection Method

Airborne remote sensing using a pushbroom imaging spectrometer and co-aligned spot radiometer.

Time Range

Fall 2022

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:52:02.098810

Geography

Approximately 300 km offshore of San Francisco, California, USA.