AIRS Aqua Satellite Atmospheric Profiles and Surface Properties

2002 to present data from the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite provides retrieved profiles of atmospheric temperature, water vapor, ozone, carbon monoxide, and methane, plus cloud and surface properties. The dataset includes 240 granules per day, with temperature profiles at 28 vertical levels and moisture profiles at 14 layers. It is produced by the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) as part of the Earth Observing System.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global temperature profiles across 28 pressure levels from 1100 mb to 0.1 mb.
• Studying water vapor distribution using moisture profiles reported at 14 atmospheric layers.
• Tracking atmospheric trace gases like ozone, carbon monoxide, and methane concentrations.
• Investigating cloud properties and surface conditions with a horizontal resolution of 50 km.
• Examining error estimates associated with each retrieved physical parameter for uncertainty analysis.

Strengths

• Provides detailed vertical resolution with 28 levels for temperature and 14 levels for moisture.
• Offers a high temporal cadence with 240 data granules produced per day.
• Includes error estimates for all retrieved quantities, supporting rigorous analysis.
• Combines visible, infrared, and microwave sensor data from the AIRS, AMSU, and HSB instrument group.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, total dataset size, and complete column lists are not provided by any source.
• The last update date conflicts between sources: NASA EarthData lists 2016-09-24, while Data.gov lists a future date of 2026-03-13.

Provenance

Source

GES_DISC

Collection Method

Retrieved from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) grating spectrometer aboard the EOS Aqua satellite.

Time Range

2002 to present (based on Aqua satellite launch and operational history)

Freshness

2016-09-24

Geography

Global