NOAA-20 VIIRS Deep Blue Aerosol Optical Thickness Swath Data

AERDB_L2_VIIRS_NOAA20 provides global satellite-derived Aerosol Optical Thickness measurements over land and ocean every 6 minutes. The product uses the heritage Deep Blue algorithm over land and the SOAR algorithm over ocean, with data at a 550 nm reference wavelength. Produced by ASIPS for NASA, this Level-2 swath data has an at-nadir spatial resolution of 6 km x 6 km.

Use Cases

• Tracking global aerosol plumes from events like wildfires or dust storms using the Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) measurements.
• Validating and improving atmospheric models with spatially and temporally consistent satellite-derived aerosol properties.
• Studying long-term aerosol trends and their radiative forcing effects on climate using the time-series of 6-minute observations.
• Analyzing differences in aerosol retrieval algorithms by comparing land (Deep Blue) and ocean (SOAR) algorithm outputs within the same swath.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage with observations every 6 minutes, enabling near-real-time monitoring of aerosol events.
• Leverages two established retrieval algorithms: the heritage Deep Blue algorithm for land and the SOAR algorithm for ocean.
• Offers a defined at-nadir spatial resolution of 6 km x 6 km, aggregating data from native ~750 m VIIRS pixels.

Limitations

• Specific column names, dataset size, and total row counts are not provided by any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• Sources conflict on license information: one specifies 'other-license-specified' while another lists 'None'.
• The spatial resolution degrades (increases) away from nadir due to sensor scanning geometry and Earth's curvature.

Provenance

Source

ASIPS for NASA, derived from NOAA-20 VIIRS sensor measurements.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). Aerosol properties retrieved via the Deep Blue algorithm over land and the Satellite Ocean Aerosol Retrieval (SOAR) algorithm over ocean.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 19:59:36.119482

Geography

Global coverage over both land and ocean.