Terra MODIS Global Particulate Inorganic Carbon Data, Version 2022.0

The 2022.0 version of the Terra MODIS Level-3 binned dataset provides global measurements of Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC) in the ocean. The data is produced by NASA's OB_CLOUD organization using the Balch & Gordon algorithm applied to ocean-color reflectance from the MODIS instrument. It is used to detect coccolithophore blooms and assess carbonate cycling alongside other oceanographic variables.

Use Cases

• Detect and quantify coccolithophore blooms based on calcite concentration data.
• Assess ocean carbonate cycling and optical backscatter based on the PIC variable.
• Provide biogeochemical context for ocean models based on the description of its use alongside chlor_a, Kd_490, PAR, and SST.

Strengths

• Data is derived from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite, a long-standing Earth observation platform.
• The algorithm (Balch & Gordon) is specifically designed for retrieving particulate inorganic carbon from ocean-color data.
• The dataset is described as a global, Level-3 binned product, suggesting spatially and temporally aggregated data.

Limitations

• The description notes uncertainties increase in optically complex coastal/inland waters or under high aerosol/glint.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (OB_CLOUD organization)

Collection Method

Algorithm (Balch & Gordon) applied to ocean-color reflectance from the Terra MODIS instrument.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not specified in the input.

Freshness

Version 2022.0 suggests a 2022 release, but the last update date is unknown.

Geography

Global ocean coverage.