Sentinel-3 OLCI Coastal Water Reflectance Data

Sentinel-3 OLCI reduced resolution daily remote sensing reflectance data is produced by CSIRO for the eReefs project. The dataset contains reprojected Level 2P spectral reflectance values on a regular grid, processed using the FUB-CSIRO Coastal Water Processor. Data was last updated in April 2026 by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Monitor coastal water quality by analyzing spectral remote sensing reflectance values across different wavelengths.
• Assess phytoplankton biomass and harmful algal blooms using the provided reflectance data as input for bio-optical algorithms.
• Track sediment plumes and turbidity by examining spatial patterns in the reprojected Level 2P reflectance grids.
• Validate and improve water quality models by comparing model outputs with the satellite-derived reflectance data, utilizing the provided quality control flags.
• Study temporal changes in coastal ecosystems by analyzing the daily time series of above-water spectral reflectance.

Strengths

• Daily temporal resolution enables tracking of short-term environmental changes.
• Includes multiple quality control layers such as standard Level 1 flags and algorithm-specific in_out_OR_combined_flags.
• Data is reprojected onto a regular grid with approximately 1000m pixel resolution for consistent spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and sample size are unknown, limiting precise assessment of dataset scale.
• The raw description does not specify the exact geographic coverage or temporal range of the data archive.
• Data is provided in PNG and WMS formats, which may be less suitable for quantitative analysis compared to raw scientific data formats.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, derived from Sentinel-3 OLCI satellite data processed by CSIRO.

Collection Method

Processed from Level 2 geophysical quantities using the FUB-CSIRO Coastal Water Processor and placed onto a regular grid using nearest neighbor resampling.

Freshness

Data was last updated in April 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Likely covers Australian coastal regions, particularly the Great Barrier Reef (eReefs project), but exact spatial coverage is unspecified.