Global Ocean Colour: Bio-Geo-Chemical, L4, from Satellite Observations, Plankton, Multi-Sensor, 4KM

Dataset Availability

2023-04-01T00:00:00Z–2025-07-25T00:00:00Z

Dataset Provider

Copernicus

Earth Engine Snippet

ee.ImageCollection("COPERNICUS/MARINE/OC_GLO_BGC/PLANKTON_MULTI_4KM")

Cadence

1 Day

Tags

copernicus marine oceans

Description

The Global Ocean Colour (Copernicus-GlobColour) dataset is a Bio-Geo-Chemical (BGC) product developed by ACRI-ST. Derived from multiple satellite sources like SeaWiFS, MODIS, and OLCI. It provides a comprehensive range of oceanographic variables, including: Chlorophyll (CHL), Phytoplankton Functional types and sizes (PFT), Primary Production (PP), Suspended Matter (SPM), Secchi Transparency Depth (ZSD), Diffuse Attenuation (KD490), Particulate Backscattering (BBP), Absorption Coefficient (CDM), Reflectance (RRS) and more.

This dataset provides key bio-geochemical information about ocean plankton. This L4 dataset is unique for its "gap-free" nature, meaning it uses a space-time interpolation to fill in data gaps caused by clouds or other obstructions, providing a complete daily image. It is derived from multiple satellite sensors, including SeaWiFS, MODIS, and OLCI. The primary layer is chlorophyll-a concentration (CHL), which serves as a proxy for the biomass of phytoplankton, a crucial component of the marine food web. The dataset is used to monitor phytoplankton blooms, assess ocean productivity, and study marine ecosystems.

Documentation:

• User's Guide

• Quality Information Document

• Copernicus Marine Datastore

Bands

Pixel Size
4000 meters

Bands

Name	Units	Pixel Size	Description
CHL	mg/m^3	meters	Chlorophyll-a concentration
CHL_uncertainty	%	meters	Chlorophyll-a concentration - The uncertainty as measured in hundredths of a percent (e.g., a value of 5000 means 50%).
flags		meters	Land water mask bit. 0: Water 1: Land

Terms of Use

Terms of Use

This dataset is released for use under Service Level Agreement (SLA), using the acronym "CMEMS" or the shortened name "Copernicus Marine Service" both denote the E.U. Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service. Highlights and key features of the licence are provided in this document License

Citations

Citations:

• Copernicus Global Ocean Colour: Global Ocean Satellite Observations, ACRI-ST company (Sophia Antipolis, France) is providing Bio-Geo-Chemical (BGC) products based on the Copernicus-GlobColour processor. doi:10.48670/moi-00279

Explore with Earth Engine

Important: Earth Engine is a platform for petabyte-scale scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets, both for public benefit and for business and government users. Earth Engine is free to use for research, education, and nonprofit use. To get started, please register for Earth Engine access.

Code Editor (JavaScript)

var dataset =
    ee.ImageCollection('COPERNICUS/MARINE/OC_GLO_BGC/PLANKTON_MULTI_4KM')
        .filter(ee.Filter.date('2025-03-01', '2025-06-01'));

var CHL = dataset.select('CHL');
var vis = {
  min: 0.027,
  max: 1.813,
  palette:
      ['D7F9D0', '91CA85', '5AB05D', '129450', '0F7347', '195437', '122414'],
};
Map.setCenter(71, 52, 2);
Map.addLayer(CHL, vis, 'CHL');

Open in Code Editor

Global Ocean Colour: Bio-Geo-Chemical, L4, from Satellite Observations, Plankton, Multi-Sensor, 4KM

The Global Ocean Colour (Copernicus-GlobColour) dataset is a Bio-Geo-Chemical (BGC) product developed by ACRI-ST. Derived from multiple satellite sources like SeaWiFS, MODIS, and OLCI. It provides a comprehensive range of oceanographic variables, including: Chlorophyll (CHL), Phytoplankton Functional types and sizes (PFT), Primary Production (PP), Suspended Matter (SPM), Secchi Transparency Depth …

COPERNICUS/MARINE/OC_GLO_BGC/PLANKTON_MULTI_4KM, copernicus,marine,oceans

2023-04-01T00:00:00Z/2025-07-25T00:00:00Z

-90 -180 90 180

Google Earth Engine

https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets