Global satellite-based estimates of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) at the ocean surface, quantifying usable light energy for photosynthesis in the 400–700 nm range. The data suite provides daily or instantaneous PAR values expressed in moles of photons per square meter. It is produced by NASA's Earthdata platform from the Suomi-NPP VIIRS instrument.
Use Cases
- Estimating marine primary production based on daily photosynthetically available radiation.
- Interpreting phytoplankton bloom dynamics based on satellite-derived light availability.
- Providing context for optical and biogeochemical measurements based on surface PAR data.
- Supporting ecosystem models of light–biology interactions based on PAR estimates.
Strengths
- Satellite-derived data provides global spatial coverage.
- Focuses on the specific 400–700 nm wavelength range relevant for photosynthesis.
- Quantifies energy in the standard unit of moles of photons per square meter per day.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Data may reflect geographic or temporal bias inherent to satellite coverage from nasa_earthdata.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Earthdata (OB_CLOUD), Suomi-NPP VIIRS instrument.
- Collection Method
- Satellite remote sensing.
- Geography
- Global ocean surface.