Surface productive layer (zeu in m at 4km resolution): The surface productive layer or euphotic zone represents the upper part of the water column that is illuminated by the sun down to the 1% light level. It is a surface layer where most of the primary production occurs.
Melin, Frederic (2026): EMIS - MERIS Monthly climatology Surface productive layer (Euphotic Depth) (4km) in m. European Commission, Joint Research Centre [Dataset] doi: 10.2905/JRC.RYJVJR8 PID: http://data.europa.eu/89h/998eb56a-48cd-40ca-81bb-73a20268d884
climate changecoastal environmentGIS digital formatmarine environmentmarine monitoringocean colorsatellite observationssea water protectionsurface productive layer climatology
Direct NetCDF download
| From date | To date |
|---|---|
| 2002-05-01 | N/A |
General information: Monthly climatology euphotic depth (in meter) as derived from the ocean colour MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) sensor (note that the product is called ‘surface productive layer’). Processing information: Euphotic depth data products are derived from the MERIS sensor on board the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Envisat platform, and processed using the NASA software package SeaDAS 6.4. The product is calculated according to a Quasi-Analytical Algorithm (QAA; Lee et al. 2007) in which vertical attenuation coefficient of the sub-surface light is modeled by the inherent optical properties of the water. Temporal characteristics: The product is a monthly mean at 4 km resolution, covering the time period between May 2002 to September 2011. Description of observation methods/instruments: The satellite-derived euphotic depth product provides a measure of the ocean depth below which light available is insufficient to support significant photosynthetic activity. It is the depth at which the visible light (400 – 700 nm range) reduces to 1% of the light incident at the ocean surface. It is a measure of water quality, as well as a important variable to estimate water column primary production. Quality/accuracy/calibration information: Using field measurements in different part of the world’s ocean, the average percentage error in the retrieval of the 1% light depth-level was calculated as ca. 14% (Lee et al.2007). References: Z Lee et al. 2007. Euphotic zone depth: Its derivation and implication to ocean-color remote sensing. J. Geophys. Res. 112, C03009, DOI: 10.1029/2006JC003802
