AIRS/Aqua L1B: Calibrated Infrared Radiances from Satellite

AIRS/Aqua L1B Infrared (IR) Version 8.0 provides calibrated and geolocated radiances from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The dataset contains measurements for 2378 infrared channels in the 3.74 to 15.4 micron spectral region, traceable to NIST standards. Data is organized into 6-minute granules, each containing 90 footprints across track by 135 lines along track.

Use Cases

• Validating atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles based on 2378 infrared spectral channels.
• Assimilating calibrated radiance data into numerical weather prediction models.
• Monitoring long-term climate trends using SI-traceable, calibrated radiances.
• Studying atmospheric composition, such as sulfur dioxide or aerosols, using specific infrared spectral signatures.

Strengths

• Provides calibrated radiances for 2378 specific infrared channels, enabling detailed spectral analysis.
• Data is calibrated to SI-traceable standards established at NIST, supporting climate-quality applications.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA Earthdata signals its importance and reliability for the scientific community.

Limitations

• Column names and detailed schema are not provided in the available metadata, limiting immediate understanding of the data structure.
• Specific row counts and total dataset size are unknown across all sources.
• One source lists a license as 'other-license-specified' while another lists 'None', creating ambiguity about reuse terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) grating spectrometer aboard the EOS Aqua satellite.

Freshness

2026-04-10 17:20:18.348416 (from Data.gov)

Geography

Global coverage from the polar-orbiting Aqua satellite.