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Chlorophyll Data Access and Tools

From discovery to visualization, data tools such as Earthdata Search, Panoply, and SeaDAS guide users in making the most of chlorophyll data.

Chlorophyll Datasets

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Dataset Version Platforms Instruments Temporal Extent Spatial Extent Spatial Resolution Data Format
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-2 Regional Ocean Color (OC) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-3 Global Binned Chlorophyll (CHL) - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-3 Global Binned Chlorophyll (CHL) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-3 Global Mapped Chlorophyll (CHL) - Near Real-time (NRT) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
NOAA-21 VIIRS Level-3 Global Mapped Chlorophyll (CHL) Data, version 2025.0 2025.0 NOAA-21 VIIRS 2022-11-10 to Present

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
Ocean Biogeochemistry from Gliders as part of the Gulf of Maine North Atlantic Time Series 1 SEAGLIDER CTD, SPECTRORADIOMETERS, FLUOROMETERS 2008-08-04 to 2021-09-16

N: 43.9 S: 43.35 E: -66.8 W: -69.78

OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-2 Regional Global Area Coverage (GAC) Ocean Color (OC) Data, version 2022.0 2022.0 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-2 Regional Merged Local Area Coverage (MLAC) Ocean Color (OC) Data, version 2022.0 2022.0 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-3 Global Binned Chlorophyll (CHL) Data, version 2022.0 2022.0 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
OrbView-2 SeaWiFS Level-3 Global Mapped Chlorophyll (CHL) Data, version 2022.0 2022.0 OrbView-2 SeaWiFS 1997-09-04 to 2010-12-11

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

netCDF-4
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Featured Water Quality Observation Method: PACE
NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) platform measures the distribution of phytoplankton, a key indicator of ocean health. Aboard PACE is the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), a highly advanced optical spectrometer used to measure substances or particles present in seawater such as chlorophyll, a green pigment found in most phytoplankton species. Monitoring global chlorophyll and phytoplankton distribution and abundance help us better understand water quality and the complex systems that drive ocean ecology.
Learn More About PACE
This is an image showing simulated chlorophyll concentrations in the ocean on March 21, 2022. The image has a black background. Regions colored in blue represent areas of low chlorophyll concentration, green are medium, and red areas have high levels. The image has strips of black running through the colored areas from the upper left to the lower right to show PACE’s orbital track around the globe and places across the ocean where it has not scanned.

Preparing for PACE Data

Simulated data help Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) users prepare a day in the life of the new satellite.
6 MIN READ
An artist's illustration of the SWOT satellite orbiting over clouds, land, and ocean across the Earth below.

Preparing for Oceans of Data

Careful calibration and validation ensure that the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission will provide the best data possible.
7 MIN READ
This rectangular image shows phytoplankton levels along Florida and the East Coast of the United States, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Land is colored in muted shades of brown and green, water is dark blue, and snow is white. Nearshore are bands of light to dark green depicting picoeukaryote organism levels. Further out to sea are regions in variations of light blue showing the presences of prochlorococcus cyanobacteria.

New PACE Data Tutorials

A series of Jupyter notebook tutorials show how to retrieve and use data from NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission.

Chlorophyll Data Tools

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Tool Description Services
STREAM STREAM is a rapid water quality monitoring tool that processes satellite imagery to create maps showing chlorophyll-a, Total Suspended Solids, and water clarity at 20-30 meter resolution. Processing
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