AIRS/Aqua NRT: Infrared Radiances for Atmospheric Sounding

2378 infrared channels capture calibrated radiances in the 3.74 to 15.4 micron spectrum from the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. This Near Real Time product meets a three-hour latency requirement for rapid monitoring, with data organized into 6-minute granules covering 90 by 135 footprints. It is part of an innovative sensor group that includes microwave and visible instruments for comprehensive atmospheric profiling.

Use Cases

• Monitoring atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles based on 2378 infrared spectral channels.
• Assimilating near-real-time radiance data into numerical weather prediction models based on the three-hour latency specification.
• Studying cloud properties and surface emissivity based on calibrated radiances in the 3.74 to 15.4 micron region.
• Validating climate models using geolocated, multi-year infrared observations from a polar-orbiting platform.

Strengths

• Provides data from 2378 distinct infrared spectral channels, enabling detailed atmospheric profiling.
• Designed for a three-hour latency, supporting time-sensitive applications like operational weather forecasting.
• Data is calibrated and geolocated, with a consistent spatial granularity of 90 footprints across track by 135 lines along track per 6-minute granule.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low; specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided in the sources.
• The NRT product uses predictive rather than definitive ephemeris/attitude data, which may introduce geolocation inaccuracies as noted in the product documentation.
• License information is conflicting or unclear, listed as 'other-license-specified' on one platform and null on another.

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

2026-03-13 16:18:37.863120

Geography

Global coverage from a polar-orbiting platform.