AIRS/Aqua L2 Cloud-Cleared Infrared Radiances (AIRS+AMSU+HSB)

AIRS/Aqua L2 Cloud-Cleared Infrared Radiances contain calibrated, geolocated infrared radiances from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder on the EOS Aqua satellite. The data represents radiances that would have been observed if there were no clouds in the field of view, generated as an intermediate product for atmospheric retrievals. This specific version (AIRH2CCF) incorporates the short-lived Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB), limiting its temporal coverage to five months from September 2002 to January 2003.

Use Cases

• Developing atmospheric state retrieval algorithms based on synthetic cloud-cleared radiances.
• Validating radiative transfer models using calibrated, geolocated infrared channel data.
• Studying short-term atmospheric phenomena during the operational period of the HSB instrument.
• Analyzing the information content of infrared spectra for weather and climate applications.

Strengths

• Data volume is an order of magnitude larger than standard AIRS products, suggesting high spectral detail.
• Provides calibrated radiances for approximately 2378 infrared channels per granule.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA and government data portals indicates established provenance and importance.

Limitations

• Extremely limited temporal coverage of only five months due to HSB instrument failure.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata (2003 vs. 2026) across sources creates uncertainty about data currency.
• Column names and precise data volume (row count, file size) are not specified in the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the AIRS grating spectrometer aboard the EOS Aqua platform.

Time Range

September 2002 to January 2003

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: 2003-02-05 on nasa_earthdata vs. 2026-04-10 on datagov.

Geography

Global coverage from polar orbit.