Sentinel-3A OLCI ERR Phytoplankton Carbon Data, Global Mapped

NASA's Sentinel-3A OLCI Level-4 ERR dataset provides global mapped phytoplankton carbon concentration derived from ocean-color observations. Typical uses include quantifying biomass and carbon stocks, assessing ecosystem productivity and change, and driving biogeochemical models. This activity was informed by the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG), an interagency effort of the U.S. Government.

Use Cases

• Quantifying marine biomass and carbon stocks based on phytoplankton carbon concentration
• Assessing ecosystem productivity and change using derived ocean-color data
• Driving biogeochemical models with phytoplankton carbon as a biological input
• Providing biological context alongside chlorophyll, PAR, and SST environmental variables

Strengths

• Derived from NASA ocean-color observations, a trusted source for Earth science data
• Provides a specific geophysical variable (phytoplankton carbon concentration) for global analysis
• Activity informed by a U.S. interagency working group dedicated to Earth observation needs

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Data may reflect geographic or temporal bias inherent to satellite observation platforms

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (OB_CLOUD)

Collection Method

Derived from Sentinel-3A OLCI satellite ocean-color observations

Geography

Global