CEOS EO HANDBOOK – INSTRUMENT SUMMARY - OLCI -
Full Name Ocean and Land Colour Imager Status Operational
Instrument Agencies ESA, COM Maturity
Instrument Type Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (vis/IR) and Ocean colour instruments Geometry Nadir-viewing
Instrument Technology Medium-resolution spectro-radiometer Sampling Imaging
Data Access Open Access Data Format
Measurements and Applications Marine and land services.
Resolution Summary 300 m
[Best Resolution: 300m]
Swath Summary 1270 km, across-track tilt 12.2 deg to the West
[Max Swath: 1270 km]
Accuracy Summary 2% abs, 0.1% rel.
Waveband Summary 21 bands in VNIR/SWIR
VIS (~0.40 µm - ~0.75 µm)
NIR (~0.75 µm - ~1.3 µm)
Instrument Measurements
Measurements Overview
CategoryParameter
AerosolsAerosol Extinction / Backscatter (column/profile)
Aerosol optical depth (column/profile)
Aerosol effective radius (column/profile)
Volcanic ash
Albedo and reflectancePhotosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)
Fraction of Absorbed PAR (FAPAR)
Earth surface albedo
Atmospheric Temperature FieldsCloud base height
Atmospheric pressure (over land surface)
Atmospheric pressure (over sea surface)
Cloud particle properties and profilePrecipitation Profile (liquid or solid)
Cloud optical depth
Cloud type, amount and cloud top temperatureCloud cover
Multi-purpose imagery (land)Fire fractional cover
Land surface imagery
Multi-purpose imagery (ocean)Ocean imagery and water leaving spectral radiance
Ocean colour/biologyOcean chlorophyll concentration
Ocean suspended sediment concentration
Color dissolved organic matter (CDOM)
Radiation budgetDiffuse attenuation coefficient (DAC)
VegetationNormalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI)
Leaf Area Index (LAI)
Vegetation type
Land cover
Thematic Links Global Climate Observing System Essential Climate Variables (GCOS ECVs)
ECVDescriptionProduct(s)ECV Inventory 3.0 Record(s)
Aerosols properties click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Albedo click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Cloud Properties click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Fire click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Land cover click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Leaf Area Index (LAI) click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Ocean Colour click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Pressure (surface) click here click here search ECV Inventory records
Instrument Missions
Sentinel-3 A - Sentinel-3 A (2016 - 2026)
Sentinel-3 B - Sentinel-3 B (2018 - 2028)
Sentinel-3 C - Sentinel-3 C (2025 - 2035)
Sentinel-3 D - Sentinel-3 D (2028 - 2038)