DSCOVR_EPIC_L2_AER_03: UV Aerosol Properties from Satellite

DSCOVR_EPIC_L2_AER_03 is a satellite-derived aerosol data product from NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory. It provides aerosol extinction optical depth and single scattering albedo at 340, 388, and 500 nm, plus a UV Aerosol Index for all sky conditions, using models for biomass burning, desert dust, and sulfate aerosols. Parameters are reported at a 10 km nadir resolution.

Use Cases

• Tracking long-range transport of desert dust based on aerosol optical depth and model type.
• Studying the radiative impact of biomass burning aerosols using single scattering albedo.
• Detecting absorbing aerosols above clouds via the all-sky UV Aerosol Index.
• Validating or complementing aerosol data from other instruments like OMI using identical aerosol models.

Strengths

• Provides specific aerosol property data at three wavelengths (340, 388, 500 nm).
• Uses a peer-reviewed algorithm (EPICAERUV) with models identical to the established OMI instrument.
• Reports data at a defined spatial resolution of 10 km at nadir.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• The listed last update date (2026-04-10) is in the future, casting doubt on metadata accuracy.
• One platform description (nasa_earthdata) appears to be for a completely different program (ECOHAB), indicating a potential metadata cross-contamination issue.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the DSCOVR spacecraft's Enhanced Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC).

Freshness

2026-04-10 03:42:01.568142 (Note: This date is in the future and may be erroneous)

Geography

Global coverage from the DSCOVR satellite's Lagrange 1 point orbit.