NASA Suomi-NPP VIIRS Level-3 data provides satellite-based estimates of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) at the ocean surface. The data suite quantifies daily and instantaneous usable light energy in the 400–700 nm range, expressed in moles of photons per square meter. These products are produced by OB_CLOUD and are used for marine primary production estimation and ecosystem modeling.
Use Cases
- Estimate marine primary production based on daily photosynthetically available radiation (par)
- Interpret phytoplankton bloom dynamics based on instantaneous PAR (ipar) measurements
- Provide context for optical and biogeochemical measurements using the PAR data suite
- Support ecosystem models of light–biology interactions using the geophysical variables
Strengths
- Data provides estimates for a specific, biologically relevant spectral range (400–700 nm)
- Includes both daily (par) and instantaneous (ipar) radiation variables
- Products are described as widely used for marine primary production estimation
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
- Row count, file formats, and sample data are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
- Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified
Provenance
- Source
- OB_CLOUD via NASA Earthdata
- Collection Method
- Satellite-based estimates from the Suomi-NPP VIIRS instrument
- Geography
- Global