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Full catalog/OLCIS3B_L4m_ERR_CARBON
OLCIS3B_L4m_ERR_CARBON·v2022.0·dataset

Carbon stored in ocean plants (Sentinel-3B)

Sentinel-3B OLCI Level-4 Global Mapped Earth-observation Reduced Resolution (ERR) Phytoplankton Carbon Data, version 2022.0
ocean NASA OB_CLOUD Level 4 active netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. The amount of carbon stored in phytoplankton (tiny floating ocean plants) near the sea surface.

How it's made. Derived from ocean-color observations by the OLCI instrument on the Sentinel-3B satellite and delivered as reduced-resolution global mapped data.

How & where you'd use it. Helps quantify ocean biomass and carbon stocks, assess ecosystem productivity, and feed biogeochemical models; coastal and inland waters carry more uncertainty.

What's measured

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

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2018-04-25 → ongoing
  • Measured bySentinel-3B (OLCI)
  • 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). This activity was informed by the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG), an interagency effort of the U.S. Government dedicated to identifying and addressing Earth observation needs across U.S. civilian federal agencies. Geophysical variables in this suite include: - carbon_phyto — Phytoplankton carbon concentration (mg m⁻³)

Get the data

olcis3b_l4m_err_carbon_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="OLCIS3B_L4m_ERR_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.