Giovanni, the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) Interactive Online Visualization and Analysis Infrastructure, has provided researchers with advanced capabilities to perform data exploration and analysis with observational data from NASA Earth observation satellites. In the past 5–10 years, examining geophysical events and processes with remote‐sensing data required a multistep process of data discovery, data acquisition, data management, and ultimately data analysis. Giovanni accelerates this process by enabling basic visualization and analysis directly on the World Wide Web. In the last two years, Giovanni has added new data acquisition functions and expanded analysis options to increase its usefulness to the Earth science research community.

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Global and local properties of atmospheric aerosols have been extensively observed and measured using both spaceborne and ground-based instruments, especially during the last decade. Unique properties retrieved by the different instruments contribute to an unprecedented availability of the most complete set of complimentary aerosol measurements ever acquired. However, some of these measurements remain underutilized, largely due to the complexities involved in analyzing them synergistically. To characterize the inconsistencies and bridge the gap that exists between the sensors, we have established a Multi-sensor Aerosol Products Sampling System (MAPSS), which consistently samples and generates the spatial statistics (mean, standard deviation, direction and rate of spatial variation, and spatial correlation coefficient) of aerosol products from multiple spaceborne sensors, including MODIS (on Terra and Aqua), MISR, OMI, POLDER, CALIOP, and SeaWiFS. Samples of satellite aerosol products are extracted over Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) locations as well as over other locations of interest such as those with available ground-based aerosol observations. In this way, MAPSS enables a direct cross-characterization and data integration between Level-2 aerosol observations from multiple sensors. In addition, the available well-characterized co-located ground-based data provides the basis for the integrated validation of these products. This paper explains the sampling methodology and concepts used in MAPSS, and demonstrates specific examples of using MAPSS for an integrated analysis of multiple aerosol products

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High freshwater flow delivers excess nutrients to Chesapeake Bay, leading to increased phytoplankton biomass, turbidity, and eutrophication. Low flow in 2002 was associated with a persistent drought that terminated abruptly in autumn 2002, followed by extremely high flow in 2003. This large difference in flow caused improved water quality in 2002 as nutrient loading subsided, and degraded water quality in 2003 with increased loading associated with high flow. We analyzed remotely sensed chlorophyll (chl a) data using an online data analysis tool to quantify the effect of sequential low and high freshwater flow on phytoplankton biomass near the mouth of the Bay. Chl a in the study area was significantly higher in 2003 than in 2002, consistent with strong forcing by freshwater flow and nutrient loading in the nutrient‐limited region of the Bay.