S3A_OL_1_EFR: Sentinel-3A OLCI Full-Resolution Top of Atmosphere Reflectance

Sentinel-3A satellite data provides Level-1B full-resolution Top of Atmosphere (TOA) radiances and brightness temperatures from two primary instruments. The Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) captures reflected solar radiation in 21 spectral bands at a 300-meter ground resolution over a 1270km swath, while the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) provides co-located nadir and along-track views for surface temperature retrieval. Products are delivered as netCDF files containing calibrated radiances, brightness temperatures, geocoordinates, time stamps, and quality flags.

Use Cases

• Monitoring ocean color and phytoplankton activity based on 21 OLCI spectral bands.
• Retrieving Sea and Land Surface Temperature (SST/LST) using SLSTR thermal infrared channels.
• Atmospheric correction research using Top of Atmosphere radiance and meteorological annotations.
• Fire detection and monitoring leveraging SLSTR's dedicated fire detection channels.
• Generating Level-1C products using the provided removed pixel information and georeferencing data.

Strengths

• Provides data from two complementary instruments (OLCI and SLSTR) on the same satellite platform.
• OLCI offers 21 spectral bands at a consistent 300m spatial resolution, enabling detailed spectral analysis.
• Includes extensive annotation data for geometry, meteorology, and quality flags alongside core measurements.
• Data is calibrated to geophysical units (W.m-2.sr-1.μm-1) and regridded to an even spatial grid.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided across platforms.
• The SLSTR product description notes the file count may vary (77 or 111 files), indicating potential inconsistency in product packaging.
• Relies on external documentation ('Sentinel Online') for complete user guidance, which may not be directly integrated.

Provenance

Source

European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-3A satellite mission, processed by LAADS (for OLCI product).

Collection Method

Acquired by the OLCI push-broom imaging spectrometer and SLSTR dual-scan temperature radiometer.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:19:13.382073

Geography

Global coverage with a 1270km wide swath.