Global satellite-based estimates of downwelling solar radiation in the 400–700 nm range available for photosynthesis at the ocean surface. The data suite quantifies daily usable light energy in moles of photons per square meter and is produced by the OB_CLOUD organization. It is used to estimate marine primary production and support ecosystem models.
Use Cases
- Estimate marine primary production based on daily photosynthetically available radiation.
- Interpret phytoplankton bloom dynamics based on satellite-derived light energy estimates.
- Provide context for in-situ optical and biogeochemical measurements based on surface PAR data.
- Support ecosystem models of light–biology interactions in the ocean based on PAR estimates.
Strengths
- Data provides a specific geophysical variable (daily PAR) measured in moles of photons m⁻² d⁻¹.
- Derived from satellite observations, offering a global spatial perspective.
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.
- Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- OB_CLOUD
- Collection Method
- Satellite-based estimates from the Suomi-NPP VIIRS instrument.
- Geography
- Global