Monthly mean sea surface Chlorophyll-a concentration (in mg.m^-3 (log10) at 4km resolution) derived from the MODIS-AQUA sensor (Satellite remote sensing Ocean color data):
Chlorophyll is a photosynthetic pigment commonly present in all phytoplankton species. It is used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass.
Chlorophyll concentration is a standard product from satellite-based optical sensors, usually retrieved from empirical algorithms using reflectance ratios at two or more wavebands.
Melin, Frederic (2026): GMIS - MODIS-AQUA Monthly mean sea surface Chlorophyll-a concentration (4km) in mg.m^-3. European Commission, Joint Research Centre [Dataset] doi: 10.2905/JRC.1B8J4D8 PID: http://data.europa.eu/89h/10161412-a76c-42b0-b4e1-5fcccdc412b2
climate changecoastal environmentGIS digital formatmarine environmentmarine monitoringocean colorsatellite observationssea surface Chlorophyll-a concentrationsea water protection
Direct NetCDF download
| From date | To date |
|---|---|
| 2002-07-01 | 2017-12-31 |
General information: Monthly mean sea surface Chlorophyll-a concentration in mg.m^-3 (log10 scalling) derived from the MODIS-AQUA sensor. Processing information: Chlorophyll-a data is processed using NASA SeaDAS 6.4 software and the standard OC3M algorithm for chla. Temporal characteristics: This product consists of standard monthly mean sea surface chlorophyll-a concentrations (L3 product) at 4km resolution (projection: Equidistant cylindrical Grid mapping: equirectangular). Description of observation methods/instruments: The remote sensing of 'Ocean Color' represents a measure of the spectral variations in the light leaving the water surface, subsequently interpreted in terms of concentrations of optically-significant constituents in the water. After removing the atmospheric contribution, the water leaving radiance recorded at a given time and wavelength by the satellite reflects the optical properties of the water which, in turn, mirrors a specific structure and biogeochemical composition of the marine waters. Accordingly, the satellite-derived reflectance at the air-sea interface can be related to the concentration of an optically-significant constituent (e.g. chlorophyll). The retrieval of chlorophyll from MODIS-AQUA for case 1 waters (optically dominated by phytoplankton and associated products) uses a 4th order polynomial algorithm (O'Reilly et al. 2000). Quality/accuracy/calibration information: The 'standard' algorithm proposed by space agencies to process data from their sensors has a nominal accuracy of ~35% in the retrieval of surface chlorophyll in case 1 waters. References: J. E. O'Reilly and co-authors, SeaWiFS Postlaunch Calibration and Validation Analyses, Part 3. NASA Tech. Memo. 2000-206892, Vol. 11, S.B. Hooker and E.R. Firestone, Eds., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, 9-23. Other contextual information: The product is stored in NetCDF data and available for download.
