Ocean Surface Irradiance Data for PACE Mission Validation

This dataset supports the validation of global surface radiation products and diffuse attenuation coefficients for NASA's PACE mission, which is critical for quantifying ocean net primary production. It combines in-situ observations from a network of automatic AERONET-OC stations and BGC-Argo profilers equipped with hyperspectral sensors. The data is managed by the OB_DAAC and leverages contributions from the International Argo Program.

Use Cases

• Validating PACE mission products like daily mean photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) using in-situ hyperspectral downward planar irradiance (Ed(0+)) measurements.
• Calculating diffuse attenuation coefficients (Kd) for light propagation in water from BGC-Argo profiler data.
• Correlating surface radiation fluxes with subsurface optical properties to study ocean biogeochemistry.
• Assessing the accuracy of instantaneous and daily mean planar and scalar radiation flux products from satellites.

Strengths

• Integrates data from two established global observation networks: AERONET-OC sites and the BGC-Argo float array.
• Focuses on hyperspectral measurements, providing detailed wavelength-specific information for validation.
• Supports a major NASA mission (PACE) with data explicitly gathered for product validation.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and precise data volume are unspecified across all sources.
• Sources conflict on license details, with one specifying 'other-license-specified' and another listing 'None'.
• The temporal and spatial coverage of the aggregated in-situ observations is not detailed.

Provenance

Source

International Argo Program and contributing national programs; AERONET-OC network.

Collection Method

In-situ observations from automatic stations and BGC-Argo profilers equipped with hyperspectral Ed sensors.

Freshness

2026-03-12 20:36:21.210107

Geography

Global, based on the deployment of AERONET-OC sites and BGC-Argo floats.