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Full catalog/MODISA_L4m_CARBON
MODISA_L4m_CARBON·v2022.0·dataset

How much carbon ocean plants hold (Aqua MODIS)

Aqua MODIS Level-4 Global Mapped Phytoplankton Carbon Data, version 2022.0
ocean NASA OB_CLOUD Level 4 active netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. How much carbon is locked up in the ocean's phytoplankton — the tiny drifting plants at the base of the marine food web — shown as a global map.

How it's made. Derived from ocean-color observations by the MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite and processed into a global mapped (Level-4) product.

How & where you'd use it. Used to estimate marine biomass and carbon stocks, gauge ocean productivity, and feed biogeochemical models. Treat coastal and inland water values with extra caution.

What's measured

Oceans › Ocean Chemistry › Organic CarbonBIOSPHERE › ECOSYSTEMS › AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS › PLANKTON › PHYTOPLANKTON

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2002-07-04 → ongoing
  • Measured byAqua (MODIS)
  • Processing levelLevel 4
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsnetCDF-4
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Watch sea-surface temperature and marine heatwaves
  • Spot algal blooms and ocean-colour shifts
  • Support fisheries and coastal monitoring
Official description

The carbon_phyto product provides phytoplankton carbon concentration derived from NASA ocean-color observations. Typical uses include quantifying biomass and carbon stocks, assessing ecosystem productivity and change, driving biogeochemical models, and providing biological context alongside chlorophyll, PAR, SST, and other environmental variables. Refer to the file metadata and product documentation for algorithm details, flags, and any mission-specific caveats (especially in optically complex coastal/inland waters). Geophysical variables in this suite include: - carbon_phyto — Phytoplankton carbon concentration (mg m⁻³)

Get the data

modisa_l4m_carbon_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MODISA_L4m_CARBON",
    version="2022.0",
    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 OB_CLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.