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Full catalog/PACE_OCI_L3B_POC
PACE_OCI_L3B_POC·v3.1·dataset

Tiny carbon particles floating in the ocean (PACE)

PACE OCI Level-3 Global Binned Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) Data, version 3.1
ocean NASA OB_CLOUD Level 3 active netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. How much carbon is locked up in tiny particles — like plankton and other bits of organic matter — floating near the ocean surface, expressed as a concentration.

How it's made. Worked out from ocean-color readings by the OCI instrument on the PACE satellite, then averaged and binned onto a global grid.

How & where you'd use it. Helps scientists tally how much carbon is stored at the sea surface and study the ocean's role in the carbon cycle and marine life.

What's measured

Oceans › Ocean Chemistry › Organic CarbonOCEANS › OCEAN CHEMISTRY › CARBONOCEANS › OCEAN OPTICS

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2024-03-05 → ongoing
  • Measured byPACE (OCI)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • 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 Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) data suite includes product of particulate organic carbon concentration from ocean-color reflectance. POC is widely used to quantify surface carbon stocks, support biogeochemical and export-flux studies, and provide ecological context alongside chlor_a, bbp, Kd_490, and SST. Geophysical variables in this suite include: - poc - Particulate Organic Carbon (mg C m^-3), Stramski et al. 2022

Get the data

pace_oci_l3b_poc_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="PACE_OCI_L3B_POC",
    version="3.1",
    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 OB_CLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.