AIRS Aqua Daily Gridded Atmospheric Retrievals with HSB

Satellite retrievals provide daily global atmospheric measurements from the AIRS, AMSU, and HSB instruments aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The dataset contains standard retrieval means, standard deviations, and input counts for geophysical parameters, averaged into 1-degree grid cells. It covers a specific five-month period from September 2002 through January 2003, due to the operational lifespan of the HSB instrument.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily global atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles via gridded retrieval means.
• Studying short-term climate variability during the September 2002 to January 2003 period.
• Validating atmospheric models using Level 3 standard deviations and input counts per grid cell.
• Comparing satellite retrieval methods from the AIRS+AMSU+HSB instrument group.
• Mapping geophysical parameters with a specific 1x1 degree gridding scheme centered on the dateline.

Strengths

• Data combines visible, infrared, and microwave sensors from three instruments (AIRS, AMSU, HSB) for a complete atmospheric profile.
• Parameters are averaged into consistent 1x1 degree global grids using a established TOVS Pathfinder scheme.
• The dataset provides standard deviations and input counts alongside retrieval means for each daily grid cell.
• Coverage is temporally coherent, with data points in a grid box always coincident in time due to specific file structuring.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to only five months (September 2002 - January 2003) due to HSB instrument failure.
• Daily Level 3 products have data gaps (gores) between satellite paths with no coverage for that day.
• The last updated date conflicts between sources: NASA Earthdata lists 2003-02-06, while Data.gov lists 2026-03-13.

Provenance

Source

GES_DISC

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the EOS Aqua platform, with data processed into Level 3 daily gridded products.

Time Range

September 2002 through January 2003

Freshness

2003-02-06 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Global, gridded into 1x1 degree cells.