The Ocean Biology DAAC produces near real-time (NRT) products using the best-available combination of ancillary data from meteorological and ozone data. As such, the inputs and the calibration used are less than optimal. Near real-time products provide a snapshot of the data during a short time period within a single orbit.
Use Cases
- Water-type classification based on inherent optical properties (IOPs) like total absorption and backscattering coefficients.
- Water-clarity assessment based on retrieved phytoplankton and particulate backscattering coefficients.
- Biogeochemical studies based on phytoplankton absorption and CDOM/detritus absorption coefficients.
- Cross-sensor comparisons based on IOPs, which are more robust than apparent optical property (AOP) products.
Strengths
- Provides near real-time (NRT) data, offering a snapshot from a short time period within a single orbit.
- Includes specific geophysical variables such as total absorption coefficient (a), total backscattering coefficient (bb), and phytoplankton absorption coefficient at 443 nm (aph_443).
- Supports multiple applications including water-type classification, water-clarity assessment, and biogeochemical studies.
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 is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- OB_CLOUD
- Collection Method
- Retrieved from spectral Remote Sensing Reflectance (Rrs) using the default configuration of the Generalized Inherent Optical Properties (GIOP) model framework.
- Freshness
- Near real-time (NRT)
- Geography
- Global