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Full catalog/PACE_OCI_L3M_CARBON_NRT
PACE_OCI_L3M_CARBON_NRT·v3.1·dataset

How much carbon ocean plants hold, near real-time (PACE OCI)

PACE OCI Level-3 Global Mapped Phytoplankton Carbon, Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 3.1
ocean NASA OB_CLOUD Level 3 active netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. Estimates how much carbon is held in ocean phytoplankton, mapped globally, in a quick-turnaround near-real-time form. Each map is a snapshot from a short stretch of a single orbit.

How it's made. Derived from ocean-color observations by the OCI instrument on NASA's PACE satellite, processed rapidly with best-available (less-than-optimal) supporting data for speed.

How & where you'd use it. Used to gauge ocean plant biomass and carbon, assess ecosystem productivity and feed biogeochemical models; the near-real-time version trades some accuracy for timeliness.

What's measured

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

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 Ocean Biology DAAC produces near real-time (NRT) products using the best-available combination of ancillary data from meteorological and ozone data. As such, the inputs and the calibration used are less than optimal. Near real-time products provide a snapshot of the data during a short time period within a single orbit. 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

pace_oci_l3m_carbon_nrt_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="PACE_OCI_L3M_CARBON_NRT",
    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.