Monthly Atmospheric Sounding Support Data from AIRS, AMSU, and HSB Instruments

AIRS/Aqua L3 Monthly Support Product (AIRH3SPM) provides global atmospheric profiles from the AIRS, AMSU, and HSB instrument suite aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The dataset contains Level 3 gridded support products at a 1-degree spatial resolution, which include fields not fully validated or intermediary values. It is produced by the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) and was last updated in March 2003.

Use Cases

• Analyzing monthly gridded atmospheric temperature profiles from the AIRS infrared sounder.
• Studying global humidity patterns using water vapor data from the HSB microwave sounder.
• Investigating atmospheric stability and cloud properties using combined visible, infrared, and microwave sensor fields.
• Validating climate model outputs against 1-degree resolution geophysical parameters from the support product.

Strengths

• Data is sourced from a sophisticated suite of three coordinated sensors (AIRS, AMSU, HSB) providing multi-spectral observations.
• Provides global coverage at a consistent 1-degree by 1-degree spatial grid for monthly composites.

Limitations

• Contains fields which are not fully validated and may include values from failed retrievals, as noted in the description.
• The dataset's last known update was in March 2003, indicating it is not current and may not reflect recent atmospheric conditions.
• Specific sample size, row count, and data volume metrics are unknown.

Provenance

Source

Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), and Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB) aboard the EOS Aqua platform, processed to Level 3 gridded products.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not specified in the provided input.

Freshness

Last updated on 2003-03-01; update frequency is null.

Geography

Global coverage.