Sentinel-3B OLCI: Global Apparent Visible Wavelength for Ocean Color Analysis

Apparent Visible Wavelength (AVW) data quantifies the spectral center of water-leaving reflectance from the Sentinel-3B OLCI satellite. The dataset is a Level-4 global mapped product at reduced resolution, version 2022.0, produced by OB_CLOUD and hosted on NASA's Earthdata platform.

Use Cases

• Classifying water types based on spectral shape described in the description.
• Guiding algorithm selection for chlorophyll-a retrievals based on AVW values.
• Detecting regional changes in ocean optical properties over time.
• Providing context alongside other ocean-color variables like chlor_a and Kd_490.

Strengths

• Derived from the Sentinel-3B OLCI satellite instrument, a dedicated Earth-observation platform.
• Provides a single, summarized geophysical variable (avw in nm) for global ocean analysis.
• Activity informed by the U.S. Government's interagency Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG).

Limitations

• Row count, file formats, and column-level documentation are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Interpretations can vary in optically complex coastal and inland waters, as noted in the description.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

OB_CLOUD via nasa_earthdata

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the Sentinel-3B OLCI instrument, processed to Level-4 mapped product.

Geography

Global