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Full catalog/ENVISAT_SCIAMACHY_SIF_1871
ENVISAT_SCIAMACHY_SIF_1871·v1·dataset

Faint glow from photosynthesizing plants (SCIAMACHY, 2003-2012)

L2 Solar-Induced Fluorescence (SIF) from SCIAMACHY, 2003-2012
land NASA ORNL_CLOUD Level 2 netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. Estimates of the faint glow that growing plants give off during photosynthesis (solar-induced fluorescence), measured over global land from 2003 to 2012. This glow is a direct sign of plant activity.

How it's made. Derived from the SCIAMACHY instrument on Europe's Envisat satellite, with each file giving daily raw and adjusted fluorescence values plus quality information.

How & where you'd use it. Lets researchers track how actively vegetation is photosynthesizing across the planet, a useful gauge of plant productivity and ecosystem health.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › REFLECTANCEBIOSPHERE › ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS › ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS › PRIMARY PRODUCTIONBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › CHLOROPHYLLBIOSPHERE › ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS › ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS › PHOTOSYNTHESISBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › LEAF CHARACTERISTICSBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › SOLAR INDUCED FLUORESCENCE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2003-01-01 → 2012-04-08
  • Measured byENVISAT (SCIAMACHY)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -58, 180, 70
  • FormatsnetCDF-4
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Track deforestation, fire scars and land-cover change
  • Monitor crop and vegetation health (NDVI/EVI)
  • Map how built-up vs. green an area is over time
Official description

This dataset provides Level 2 (L2) Solar-Induced Fluorescence (SIF) of chlorophyll estimates derived from the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY) instrument on the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Environmental satellite (Envisat) with ~0.5 nm spectral resolution and wavelengths between 734 and 758 nm. SCIAMACHY covers global land between approximately 70 and -57 degrees latitude on an orbital basis at a resolution of approximately 30 km x 240 km. Data are provided for the period from 2003-01-01 to 2012-04-08. Each file contains daily raw and bias-adjusted solar-induced fluorescence along with quality control information and ancillary data.

Get the data

envisat_sciamachy_sif_1871_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="ENVISAT_SCIAMACHY_SIF_1871",
    version="1",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from ORNL_CLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.