Aquascope Level-3 Products

The Aquascope Level-3 products provide aquatic EO products for the Belgian North Sea, with an archive ranging from 01-01-2015 until now. All Aquascope products are derived from Sentinel-3, Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8/9 satellite data and are produced in near real-time.

They provide information on:

Detailed collection descriptions are provided below. Methodology and product details will be documented in the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD), which will be added later.

Aquascope remote sensing reflectance (RRS), level-3, 10 m, daily

The primary ocean colour variable is the spectral remote-sensing reflectance (RRS) obtained after applying atmospheric correction (AC) to level-1 satellite products. It is the fundamental optical product and the basis of the other Aquascope water-quality products such as chlorophyll-a (CHL), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and turbidity (TUR). The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-2 MSI images at 10 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

Atmospheric correction algorithms such as C2RCC and ACOLITE/DSF generate RRS products over coastal waters. The processing from level-1 to level-2 reflectance includes corrections for absorbing gases, molecular scattering, aerosol scattering, skyglint, direct sunglint, and removal of detector banding effects visible in Sentinel-2/MSI imagery. To achieve high-quality RRS spectra, Aquascope merges the C2RCC and ACOLITE/DSF outputs with a comprehensive, region-independent, pixel-based automatic switching scheme, which provides greater retrieval power in difficult circumstances (Van der Zande et al., 2023). Quality flagging is based on the IdePix classification.

Van der Zande, D., Vanhellemont, Q., Stelzer, K., Lebreton, C., Dille, A., Cardoso dos Santos, J. F., Böttcher, M., Vansteenwegen, D., & Brockmann, C. (2023). Improving operational ocean color coverage using a merged atmospheric correction approach. Proc. SPIE 12728, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, Coastal Waters, and Large Water Regions 2023, 1272803. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2684346

Thumbnail - Aquascope remote sensing reflectance (RRS), level-3, 10 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/a0vd-6777

Aquascope remote sensing reflectance (RRS), level-3, 30 m, daily

The primary ocean colour variable is the spectral remote-sensing reflectance (RRS) obtained after applying atmospheric correction (AC) to level-1 satellite products. It is the fundamental optical product and the basis of the other Aquascope water-quality products such as suspended particulate matter (SPM) and turbidity (TUR). The products in this collection are derived from Landsat 8/9 images at 30 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

Atmospheric correction algorithms such as C2RCC and ACOLITE/DSF generate RRS products over coastal waters. The processing from level-1 to level-2 reflectance includes corrections for absorbing gases, molecular scattering, aerosol scattering, skyglint and direct sunglint. To achieve high-quality RRS spectra, Aquascope merges the C2RCC and ACOLITE/DSF outputs with a comprehensive, region-independent, pixel-based automatic switching scheme, which provides greater retrieval power in difficult circumstances (Van der Zande et al., 2023). Quality flagging is based on the IdePix classification.

Van der Zande, D., Vanhellemont, Q., Stelzer, K., Lebreton, C., Dille, A., Cardoso dos Santos, J. F., Böttcher, M., Vansteenwegen, D., & Brockmann, C. (2023). Improving operational ocean color coverage using a merged atmospheric correction approach. Proc. SPIE 12728, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, Coastal Waters, and Large Water Regions 2023, 1272803. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2684346

Thumbnail - Aquascope remote sensing reflectance (RRS), level-3, 30 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/pwyg-vy49

Aquascope remote sensing reflectance (RRS), level-3, 300 m, daily

The primary ocean colour variable is the spectral remote-sensing reflectance (RRS) obtained after applying atmospheric correction (AC) to level-1 satellite products. It is the fundamental optical product and the basis of the other Aquascope water-quality products such as chlorophyll-a (CHL), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and turbidity (TUR). The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-3 OLCI images at 300 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

Atmospheric correction algorithms such as C2RCC and ACOLITE/DSF generate RRS products over coastal waters. The processing from level-1 to level-2 reflectance includes corrections for absorbing gases, molecular scattering, aerosol scattering, skyglint and direct sunglint. To achieve high-quality RRS spectra, Aquascope merges the C2RCC and ACOLITE/DSF outputs with a comprehensive, region-independent, pixel-based automatic switching scheme, which provides greater retrieval power in difficult circumstances (Van der Zande et al., 2023). Quality flagging is based on the IdePix classification.

Van der Zande, D., Vanhellemont, Q., Stelzer, K., Lebreton, C., Dille, A., Cardoso dos Santos, J. F., Böttcher, M., Vansteenwegen, D., & Brockmann, C. (2023). Improving operational ocean color coverage using a merged atmospheric correction approach. Proc. SPIE 12728, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, Coastal Waters, and Large Water Regions 2023, 1272803. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2684346

Thumbnail - Aquascope remote sensing reflectance (RRS), level-3, 300 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/pq28-db63

Aquascope turbidity (TUR), level-3, 10 m, daily

Turbidity (TUR) is an optical measure of water clarity that quantifies how strongly suspended particles (sediments, phytoplankton, organic matter, etc.) scatter light, with higher turbidity indicating cloudier or more opaque water. In water-quality monitoring it is typically expressed in Formazin Nephelometric Units (FNU). The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-2 MSI images at 10 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

Nechad et al. (2009, 2010) provided the theoretical basis for SPM and TUR as a function of reflectance at a single band. They also derived calibration coefficients for wavelengths between 520 nm and 885 nm, allowing the algorithm to be applied to any sensor with a single red or NIR band. RRS increases with TUR, but the slope and saturation point depend on the wavelength. This led to the development of ‘switching single-band algorithms’ using different wavelengths for different SPM concentrations. The Novoa et al. (2017) approach is applied to both SPM and TUR products across all regions, providing a multi-band product using two bands (red: 665 nm and near-infrared: 865 nm).

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Neukermans, G. (2009). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of turbidity in coastal waters. Proc. SPIE 7473, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, and Large Water Regions 2009, 74730H.

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Park, Y. (2010). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of total suspended matter in turbid waters. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114(4), 854-866.

Novoa, S., Doxaran, D., Ody, A., Vanhellemont, Q., Lafon, V., Lubac, B., & Gernez, P. (2017). Atmospheric corrections and multi-conditional algorithm for multi-sensor remote sensing of suspended particulate matter in low-to-high turbidity levels coastal waters. Remote Sensing, 9(1), 61.

Thumbnail - Aquascope turbidity (TUR), level-3, 10 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/455c-9w29

Aquascope turbidity (TUR), level-3, 30 m, daily

Turbidity (TUR) is an optical measure of water clarity that quantifies how strongly suspended particles (sediments, phytoplankton, organic matter, etc.) scatter light, with higher turbidity indicating cloudier or more opaque water. In water-quality monitoring it is typically expressed in Formazin Nephelometric Units (FNU). The products in this collection are derived from Landsat 8/9 images at 30 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

Nechad et al. (2009, 2010) provided the theoretical basis for SPM and TUR as a function of reflectance at a single band. They also derived calibration coefficients for wavelengths between 520 nm and 885 nm, allowing the algorithm to be applied to any sensor with a single red or NIR band. RRS increases with TUR, but the slope and saturation point depend on the wavelength. This led to the development of ‘switching single-band algorithms’ using different wavelengths for different SPM concentrations. The Novoa et al. (2017) approach is applied to both SPM and TUR products across all regions, providing a multi-band product using two bands (red: 655 nm and near-infrared: 865 nm).

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Neukermans, G. (2009). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of turbidity in coastal waters. Proc. SPIE 7473, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, and Large Water Regions 2009, 74730H.

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Park, Y. (2010). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of total suspended matter in turbid waters. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114(4), 854-866.

Novoa, S., Doxaran, D., Ody, A., Vanhellemont, Q., Lafon, V., Lubac, B., & Gernez, P. (2017). Atmospheric corrections and multi-conditional algorithm for multi-sensor remote sensing of suspended particulate matter in low-to-high turbidity levels coastal waters. Remote Sensing, 9(1), 61.

Thumbnail - Aquascope turbidity (TUR), level-3, 30 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/n7cc-7v86

Aquascope turbidity (TUR), level-3, 300 m, daily

Turbidity (TUR) is an optical measure of water clarity that quantifies how strongly suspended particles (sediments, phytoplankton, organic matter, etc.) scatter light, with higher turbidity indicating cloudier or more opaque water. In water-quality monitoring it is typically expressed in Formazin Nephelometric Units (FNU). The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-3 OLCI images at 300 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

Nechad et al. (2009, 2010) provided the theoretical basis for SPM and TUR as a function of reflectance at a single band. They also derived calibration coefficients for wavelengths between 520 nm and 885 nm, allowing the algorithm to be applied to any sensor with a single red or NIR band. RRS increases with TUR, but the slope and saturation point depend on the wavelength. This led to the development of ‘switching single-band algorithms’ using different wavelengths for different SPM concentrations. The Novoa et al. (2017) approach is applied to both SPM and TUR products across all regions, providing a multi-band product using two bands (red: 665 nm and near-infrared: 865 nm).

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Neukermans, G. (2009). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of turbidity in coastal waters. Proc. SPIE 7473, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, and Large Water Regions 2009, 74730H.

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Park, Y. (2010). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of total suspended matter in turbid waters. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114(4), 854-866.

Novoa, S., Doxaran, D., Ody, A., Vanhellemont, Q., Lafon, V., Lubac, B., & Gernez, P. (2017). Atmospheric corrections and multi-conditional algorithm for multi-sensor remote sensing of suspended particulate matter in low-to-high turbidity levels coastal waters. Remote Sensing, 9(1), 61.

Thumbnail - Aquascope turbidity (TUR), level-3, 300 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/63gk-c497

Aquascope suspended particulate matter (SPM), level-3, 10 m, daily

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) is the mass concentration of all particles suspended in the near-surface water: mineral sediment, organic detritus and phytoplankton (g m−3). It is a key water-quality indicator: it controls water clarity and the penetration of light, and it traces sediment transport, river plumes, dredging and resuspension. The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-2 MSI images at 10 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

SPM is retrieved from the remote-sensing reflectance (RRS) of a single band with the algorithm of Nechad et al. (2010), which relates RRS to SPM through a semi-analytical function calibrated for wavelengths between 520 nm and 885 nm. RRS increases with SPM until it saturates, at a concentration that depends on the wavelength: the red band is sensitive at low to moderate concentrations but saturates in very turbid water, where the near-infrared band still responds. Following the switching approach of Novoa et al. (2017), the SPM of each pixel is therefore taken from the red band (665 nm) at low to moderate concentrations and from the near-infrared band (865 nm) at high concentrations, with a smooth weighted transition between the two. The same approach is used for the Aquascope turbidity (TUR) product, with the turbidity calibration of Nechad et al. (2009).

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Neukermans, G. (2009). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of turbidity in coastal waters. Proc. SPIE 7473, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, and Large Water Regions 2009, 74730H.

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Park, Y. (2010). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of total suspended matter in turbid waters. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114(4), 854-866.

Novoa, S., Doxaran, D., Ody, A., Vanhellemont, Q., Lafon, V., Lubac, B., & Gernez, P. (2017). Atmospheric corrections and multi-conditional algorithm for multi-sensor remote sensing of suspended particulate matter in low-to-high turbidity levels coastal waters. Remote Sensing, 9(1), 61.

Thumbnail - Aquascope suspended particulate matter (SPM), level-3, 10 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/wr57-gn87

Aquascope suspended particulate matter (SPM), level-3, 30 m, daily

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) is the mass concentration of all particles suspended in the near-surface water: mineral sediment, organic detritus and phytoplankton (g m−3). It is a key water-quality indicator: it controls water clarity and the penetration of light, and it traces sediment transport, river plumes, dredging and resuspension. The products in this collection are derived from Landsat 8/9 images at 30 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

SPM is retrieved from the remote-sensing reflectance (RRS) of a single band with the algorithm of Nechad et al. (2010), which relates RRS to SPM through a semi-analytical function calibrated for wavelengths between 520 nm and 885 nm. RRS increases with SPM until it saturates, at a concentration that depends on the wavelength: the red band is sensitive at low to moderate concentrations but saturates in very turbid water, where the near-infrared band still responds. Following the switching approach of Novoa et al. (2017), the SPM of each pixel is therefore taken from the red band (655 nm) at low to moderate concentrations and from the near-infrared band (865 nm) at high concentrations, with a smooth weighted transition between the two. The same approach is used for the Aquascope turbidity (TUR) product, with the turbidity calibration of Nechad et al. (2009).

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Neukermans, G. (2009). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of turbidity in coastal waters. Proc. SPIE 7473, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, and Large Water Regions 2009, 74730H.

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Park, Y. (2010). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of total suspended matter in turbid waters. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114(4), 854-866.

Novoa, S., Doxaran, D., Ody, A., Vanhellemont, Q., Lafon, V., Lubac, B., & Gernez, P. (2017). Atmospheric corrections and multi-conditional algorithm for multi-sensor remote sensing of suspended particulate matter in low-to-high turbidity levels coastal waters. Remote Sensing, 9(1), 61.

Thumbnail - Aquascope suspended particulate matter (SPM), level-3, 30 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/33pe-gq93

Aquascope suspended particulate matter (SPM), level-3, 300 m, daily

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) is the mass concentration of all particles suspended in the near-surface water: mineral sediment, organic detritus and phytoplankton (g m−3). It is a key water-quality indicator: it controls water clarity and the penetration of light, and it traces sediment transport, river plumes, dredging and resuspension. The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-3 OLCI images at 300 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

SPM is retrieved from the remote-sensing reflectance (RRS) of a single band with the algorithm of Nechad et al. (2010), which relates RRS to SPM through a semi-analytical function calibrated for wavelengths between 520 nm and 885 nm. RRS increases with SPM until it saturates, at a concentration that depends on the wavelength: the red band is sensitive at low to moderate concentrations but saturates in very turbid water, where the near-infrared band still responds. Following the switching approach of Novoa et al. (2017), the SPM of each pixel is therefore taken from the red band (665 nm) at low to moderate concentrations and from the near-infrared band (865 nm) at high concentrations, with a smooth weighted transition between the two. The same approach is used for the Aquascope turbidity (TUR) product, with the turbidity calibration of Nechad et al. (2009).

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Neukermans, G. (2009). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of turbidity in coastal waters. Proc. SPIE 7473, Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, and Large Water Regions 2009, 74730H.

Nechad, B., Ruddick, K. G., & Park, Y. (2010). Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of total suspended matter in turbid waters. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114(4), 854-866.

Novoa, S., Doxaran, D., Ody, A., Vanhellemont, Q., Lafon, V., Lubac, B., & Gernez, P. (2017). Atmospheric corrections and multi-conditional algorithm for multi-sensor remote sensing of suspended particulate matter in low-to-high turbidity levels coastal waters. Remote Sensing, 9(1), 61.

Thumbnail - Aquascope suspended particulate matter (SPM), level-3, 300 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/ag0k-5c59

Aquascope chlorophyll-a (CHL), level-3, 60 m, daily

Chlorophyll-a (CHL) is the near-surface mass concentration of the phytoplankton pigment chlorophyll-a (mg m−3). It is used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass in surface waters and is a core variable for monitoring phytoplankton blooms, eutrophication status and marine ecosystem productivity. The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-2 MSI images and delivered at 60 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

Retrieving CHL reliably in optically complex coastal waters, such as the Belgian coastal zone, is challenging: many algorithms exist, each performing well only in some optical conditions. Lavigne et al. (2021) defined a multi-algorithm approach that automatically switches between blue-green and NIR-red band-ratio algorithms based on the water type. This approach is the basis of the Copernicus Marine multi-sensor chlorophyll-a product for the Atlantic (OCEANCOLOUR_ATL_BGC_L3_MY_009_113, 1 km), which OSPAR uses for the Quality Status Report on eutrophication in the North Sea (https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/quality-status-reports/qsr-2023/indicator-assessments/chl-a-concentrations/).

The products in this collection transfer this approach to Sentinel-2 MSI at 60 m with OCTIS (Ocean Colour Transfer across Imaging Sensors), a machine-learning method trained to reproduce the Copernicus Marine CHL from the sensor’s own reflectance, so that the result does not depend on differences in spectral bands between sensors. The 60 m remote-sensing reflectance (RRS, atmospherically corrected with ACOLITE, complemented by C2RCC in the blue and green bands) is assigned membership values for five optical water types. For each water type, a LightGBM model (gradient-boosted decision trees) estimates CHL from the MSI RRS bands and band ratios, and the five estimates are blended according to the water-type memberships. The models were trained for the North-West European Shelf and the Iberia-Biscay-Ireland region on Sentinel-2 reflectance matched to the Copernicus Marine CHL, used as the training label after a recalibration to in-situ HPLC measurements from Rijkswaterstaat (NL).

Lavigne, H., Van der Zande, D., Ruddick, K., Cardoso dos Santos, J. F., Gohin, F., Brotas, V., & Kratzer, S. (2021). Quality-control tests for OC4, OC5 and NIR-red satellite chlorophyll-a algorithms applied to coastal waters. Remote Sensing of Environment, 255, 112237.

Thumbnail - Aquascope chlorophyll-a (CHL), level-3, 60 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/2a04-tm24

Aquascope chlorophyll-a (CHL), level-3, 300 m, daily

Chlorophyll-a (CHL) is the near-surface mass concentration of the phytoplankton pigment chlorophyll-a (mg m−3). It is used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass in surface waters and is a core variable for monitoring phytoplankton blooms, eutrophication status and marine ecosystem productivity. The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-3 OLCI images at 300 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

Retrieving CHL reliably in optically complex coastal waters, such as the Belgian coastal zone, is challenging: many algorithms exist, each performing well only in some optical conditions. Lavigne et al. (2021) defined a multi-algorithm approach that automatically switches between blue-green and NIR-red band-ratio algorithms based on the water type. This approach is the basis of the Copernicus Marine multi-sensor chlorophyll-a product for the Atlantic (OCEANCOLOUR_ATL_BGC_L3_MY_009_113, 1 km), which OSPAR uses for the Quality Status Report on eutrophication in the North Sea (https://oap.ospar.org/en/ospar-assessments/quality-status-reports/qsr-2023/indicator-assessments/chl-a-concentrations/).

The products in this collection transfer this approach to Sentinel-3 OLCI at 300 m with OCTIS (Ocean Colour Transfer across Imaging Sensors), a machine-learning method trained to reproduce the Copernicus Marine CHL from the sensor’s own reflectance. The remote-sensing reflectance (RRS, atmospherically corrected with ACOLITE) is assigned membership values for five optical water types. For each water type, a LightGBM model (gradient-boosted decision trees) estimates CHL from the OLCI RRS bands and band ratios, and the five estimates are blended according to the water-type memberships. The models were trained for the Aquascope region of interest, with the Copernicus Marine CHL as the training label after a recalibration to in-situ HPLC measurements from Rijkswaterstaat (NL).

Lavigne, H., Van der Zande, D., Ruddick, K., Cardoso dos Santos, J. F., Gohin, F., Brotas, V., & Kratzer, S. (2021). Quality-control tests for OC4, OC5 and NIR-red satellite chlorophyll-a algorithms applied to coastal waters. Remote Sensing of Environment, 255, 112237.

Thumbnail - Aquascope chlorophyll-a (CHL), level-3, 300 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/nzsp-m673

Aquascope sea surface temperature (SST), level-3, 30 m, daily

Sea surface temperature (SST) is the temperature of the ocean’s surface layer. Thermal infrared sensors measure the temperature of the skin of the sea surface. With their high spatial resolution, Landsat SST products show coastal and estuarine detail that coarser sensors miss, such as river plumes, fronts, and the warm-water discharges of power plants. The products in this collection are derived from Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 TIRS images at 30 m (100 m native thermal resolution); each input image results in one output product.

The products are based on the standard level-2 surface temperature product of the U.S. Geological Survey (Landsat Collection 2 Level-2), retrieved from the TIRS thermal infrared band 10 with a single-channel algorithm that corrects for the atmosphere using reanalysis profiles. Aquascope applies the USGS quality information to keep only reliable water pixels and maps the result onto a regular grid (level 3). SST is given in kelvin (K).

Thumbnail - Aquascope sea surface temperature (SST), level-3, 30 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/qg2y-cb25

Aquascope sea surface temperature (SST), level-3, 1000 m, daily

Sea surface temperature (SST) is the temperature of the ocean’s surface layer. Thermal infrared sensors measure the temperature of the skin of the sea surface. SST is a key variable for monitoring marine heatwaves, air-sea heat exchange, fronts and upwelling, and the response of marine ecosystems. The products in this collection are derived from Sentinel-3 SLSTR images at 1000 m spatial resolution; each input image results in one output product.

The products are based on the standard level-2 SST product of EUMETSAT (SLSTR Level-2 WST, in the GHRSST L2P format), retrieved from the SLSTR thermal infrared channels with EUMETSAT’s multi-channel and dual-view algorithms, which correct for the atmosphere. Aquascope applies EUMETSAT’s own quality levels and flags to keep only reliable pixels and maps the result onto a regular grid (level 3). SST is given in kelvin (K).

Thumbnail - Aquascope sea surface temperature (SST), level-3, 1000 m, daily
Property Value
Spatial extent [-2.0, 49.0, 5.0, 53.0]
Temporal extent 2015/01/01 - Current
DOI 10.71570/2gcd-q618
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