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Full catalog/VIIRSN_L3m_PIC_NRT
VIIRSN_L3m_PIC_NRT·v2022.0·dataset

Chalky mineral particles in the ocean (Suomi NPP, near-real-time)

Suomi-NPP VIIRS Level-3 Global Mapped Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC) - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 2022.0
ocean NASA OB_CLOUD Level 3 active netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. Maps of particulate inorganic carbon in the ocean, essentially tiny chalky calcite particles produced mainly by a kind of plankton called coccolithophores. This is a quick-turnaround near-real-time version, so its calibration is less polished than the standard product.

How it's made. Derived from ocean-color readings by the VIIRS instrument on the Suomi-NPP satellite and mapped onto a global grid using an established algorithm.

How & where you'd use it. Helps detect and measure blooms of these chalk-shelled plankton and study how carbon cycles through the ocean. Accuracy drops in murky coastal waters, so users should check the quality flags.

What's measured

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

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2012-01-02 → ongoing
  • Measured bySuomi-NPP (VIIRS)
  • 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 Particulate Inorganic Carbon (PIC) data suite includes product of particulate inorganic carbon (calcite, typically from coccolithophores) from ocean-color reflectance using the Balch & Gordon algorithm. PIC is used to detect and quantify coccolithophore blooms, assess carbonate cycling and optical backscatter, and provide biogeochemical context alongside chlor_a, Kd_490, PAR, and SST. As with all ocean-color retrievals, uncertainties increase in optically complex coastal/inland waters or under high aerosol/glint; users should refer to per-mission algorithm notes and quality flags before analysis. Geophysical variables in this suite include: - pic — Particulate Inorganic Carbon (Calcite concentration, Balch and Gordon) (mol m⁻³)

Get the data

viirsn_l3m_pic_nrt_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="VIIRSN_L3m_PIC_NRT",
    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.