Ocean Data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
type: Dataset
description: MODIS (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (originally known as EOS AM-1) and Aqua (originally known as EOS PM-1) satellites. Terra's orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon. Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands, or groups of wavelengths (see MODIS Technical Specifications). These data will improve our understanding of global dynamics and processes occurring on the land, in the oceans, and in the lower atmosphere. MODIS is playing a vital role in the development of validated, global, interactive Earth system models able to predict global change accurately enough to assist policy makers in making sound decisions concerning the protection of our environment. Terra NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Ocean Ecology Laboratory, Ocean Biology Processing Group; (2014): MODIS-Terra Ocean Color Data; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Ocean Ecology Laboratory, Ocean Biology Processing Group. http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/TERRA/MODIS_OC.2014.0 Accessed on 07/28/2015. Aqua NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Ocean Ecology Laboratory, Ocean Biology Processing Group; (2014): MODIS-Aqua Ocean Color Data; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Ocean Ecology Laboratory, Ocean Biology Processing Group. http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/AQUA/MODIS_OC.2014.0 Accessed on 07/28/2015.
language: en-US
date created: 21-07-2021T03:07:03.0
date modified: 20-02-2025T18:02:01.0
publisher: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
subject of: Atmosphere and Climate
subject of: Land
subject of: Coastal and Marine
keywords: modis
keywords: gis
keywords: data
keywords: geo
keywords: temperature
keywords: chlorophyll
keywords: sea surface
keywords: conservation
keywords: marine
keywords: biopama2
license: https://pacific-data.sprep.org/resource/public-data-license-agreement-0
spatial: POLYGON ((-177.73681640625 -85.648823185634, -177.73681640625 85.141283981176, 187.88818359375 85.141283981176, 187.88818359375 -85.648823185634))
spatial coverage: Worldwide
accountable person: Shannell Frazier, NASA Official
distribution: Mean Monthly Sea Surface Temperature (°C) for 2010-2019 - MODIS
  type: DataDownload
  file format: zip
  encoding format: application/zip
  description: This dataset contains rasters and a metadata file for global mean monthly sea surface temperature (°C) from 2010-2019. Rasters are in WGS84 coordinate system (EPSG 4326). Sea surface temperature is the temperature of the top millimeter of the ocean's surface. Sea surface temperatures influence weather, including hurricanes, as well as plant and animal life in the ocean. Like Earth's land surface, sea surface temperatures are warmer near the equator and colder near the poles. Currents like giant rivers move warm and cold water around the world's oceans. Some of these currents flow on the surface, and they are obvious in sea surface temperature images. Warm ocean waters help form clouds and affect weather patterns. The sea's surface temperature is also correlated to the availability of tiny ocean plants, called phytoplankton. For all of these reasons scientists monitor the sea's surface temperature. These maps show satellite measurements of the sea's surface temperature for a given day, or for a span of days. NASA standard processing and distribution of the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) products from the MODIS sensors is now performed using software developed by the Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG). The OBPG generates Level-2 SST products using the Multi-Sensor Level-1 to Level-2 software (l2gen), which is the same software used to generate MODIS ocean color products. The SST algorithm and quality assessment logic are the responsibility of the MODIS Science Team Leads for SST (currently P. Minnett and R. Evans of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) at the University of Miami). Details of the SST processing implementation within l2gen are provided in this document. The description is valid for both the standard products distributed by the OBPG through the ocean color web and the products delivered to the Physical Oceanography DAAC, where the latter are subsequently repackaged for GHRSST distribution. An historical discussion on the tran…
distribution: Mean Monthly Sea Surface Chlorophyll-a Concentration (mg/m3) for 2010-2019 - MODIS
  type: DataDownload
  file format: zip
  encoding format: application/zip
  description: This dataset contains rasters and a metadata file for global mean monthly ocean chlorophyll concentration (mg/m3) from 2010-2019. Rasters are in WGS84 coordinate system (EPSG 4326) . Chlorophyll-a is the light-harvesting pigment found in all photosynthetic plants. Its concentration in the ocean is used as an index of phytoplankton biomass and, as such, is a key input to primary productivity models. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites measures ocean color every day, from which global chlorophyll-a concentrations are derived. Ocean phytoplankton chemically fix carbon through photosynthesis, taking in dissolved carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Through this process, marine plants capture about an equal amount of carbon as does photosynthesis by land vegetation. Changes in the amount of phytoplankton indicate the change in productivity of the oceans and provide a key ocean link for global climate change monitoring. Scientists use chlorophyll in modeling Earth's biogeochemical cycles such as the carbon cycle or the nitrogen cycle. Additionally, on short time scales, chlorophyll can be used to trace oceanographic currents, jets, and plumes. The 1-km resolution and nearly daily global coverage of the MODIS data thus allows scientists to observe mesoscale oceanographic features in coastal and estuarine environments, which are of increasing importance in marine science studies. The MODIS Chlorophyll-a product provides an estimate of the near-surface concentration of chlorophyll calculated using an empirical relationship derived from in situ measurements of chlorophyll and remote sensing reflectances (Rrs) in the blue-to-green region of the visible spectrum. The implementation is contingent on the availability of three or more sensor bands spanning the 440 - 670 nm spectral regime. The current implementation for the default chlorophyll algorithm (chlor_a) employs the standard band ratio algorithm (OCx…