VIIRS/SNPP Deep Blue Aerosol Optical Thickness Swath Data

6 km x 6 km at-nadir resolution aerosol optical thickness (AOT) data is derived from the Suomi NPP VIIRS sensor using the Deep Blue algorithm over land and the SOAR algorithm over ocean. This Level-2 product provides global measurements every 6 minutes at a 550 nm reference wavelength. The dataset is produced by ASIPS and is available from NASA Earthdata and Data.gov platforms.

Use Cases

• Tracking particulate matter pollution over urban and rural land surfaces using the Deep Blue algorithm AOT retrievals.
• Analyzing marine aerosol transport and sea salt particles using the SOAR algorithm over-water retrievals.
• Validating and calibrating regional air quality models with 6-minute temporal resolution swath data.
• Studying long-term aerosol trends and their radiative forcing effects on climate using a consistent satellite heritage from SeaWiFS and MODIS.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage with a high temporal resolution of measurements every 6 minutes.
• Utilizes two established retrieval algorithms (Deep Blue over land, SOAR over ocean) with heritage from SeaWiFS and MODIS.
• Offers a specific at-nadir spatial resolution of 6 km x 6 km, aggregating from native 750 m VIIRS pixels.

Limitations

• Specific column names, total row count, and dataset size are not provided by any source, limiting detailed analysis.
• Sources conflict on license information, with one specifying 'other-license-specified' and another listing 'None'.
• The spatial resolution degrades progressively away from nadir due to sensor scanning geometry and Earth's curvature.

Provenance

Source

ASIPS (Aerosol, Clouds, and Ocean Science Processing System) for NASA.

Collection Method

Satellite-derived measurements from the VIIRS sensor aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP).

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 20:26:49.603469

Geography

Global