AIRS L2 Support Retrieval: High-Resolution Atmospheric Profiles

Global atmospheric data is collected by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The Level 2 Support Product provides high vertical resolution profiles across 100 pressure levels, from 1100 to 0.016 mb, and includes research outputs like trace gas abundances and detailed quality assessment. Data is organized into 240 granules per day, each covering 6 minutes with a 30x45 footprint grid, on an approximately 16-day orbit repeat cycle.

Use Cases

• Forward radiance modeling based on high-resolution vertical profiles.
• Trace gas abundance analysis based on included research products.
• Atmospheric retrieval algorithm development based on intermediate outputs like microwave-only retrievals.
• Climate and weather process studies based on global, multi-sensor atmospheric soundings.

Strengths

• Provides high vertical resolution with 100 atmospheric pressure levels.
• Includes detailed quality assessment information and intermediate research outputs.
• Global coverage with a consistent temporal cadence of 240 granules per day.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data schema are not provided in any source.
• The dataset is produced using AIRS infrared data only due to increased noise in AMSU channels since June 2007, which may limit some retrieval capabilities.
• Exact data volume (size, row count) is unknown across all platforms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the AIRS instrument on the EOS Aqua platform.

Time Range

Data collection began after the instrument's launch; the product specifically addresses changes since June 2007.

Freshness

2026-03-13 15:23:02.573714

Geography

Global