GOES Water Vapor Transport: Satellite Data for the 1987-1988 ENSO Cycle
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Description
Nineteen months of geostationary satellite-derived products from the GOES-8 satellite span the 1987-1988 El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. Water vapor transport variables, derived using the Marshall Automated Winds (MAW) tracking algorithm, are provided in daily and monthly gridded and non-gridded formats. Relative humidity and pressure heights are calculated using brightness temperature conversion and IR window techniques.
Use Cases
Analyzing water vapor transport patterns during a specific ENSO event based on daily and monthly satellite data.
Studying the relationship between upper-level atmospheric winds and humidity using the derived wind vectors and relative humidity fields.
Validating climate model outputs for the 1987-1988 period against satellite-derived geospatial observations.
Tracking the temporal evolution of atmospheric moisture transport using the nineteen-month time series.
Strengths
Covers a specific, significant climatic event with data spanning the entire 1987-1988 ENSO cycle.
Provides derived atmospheric variables (water vapor transport, relative humidity, pressure heights) from raw satellite data using documented algorithms like MAW.
Offers data in multiple temporal aggregations (daily, monthly) and spatial formats (gridded, non-gridded).
Limitations
Metadata conflict: the last updated date differs significantly between sources (1988 vs. 2026), suggesting potential metadata errors.
Column names and exact data size are unknown, limiting immediate understanding of the data structure.
Data is stored in legacy formats (binary, McIDAS) which may require specialized tools to access and process.
Provenance
Source
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), GOES-8 satellite.
Collection Method
Derived using the Marshall Automated Winds (MAW) tracking algorithm and brightness temperature conversion techniques.
Time Range
Nineteen months spanning the 1987-1988 period.
Freshness
2026-04-10 02:36:24.498891
Geography
Coverage area of the GOES-8 geostationary satellite, likely focused on a specific region (e.g., Pacific Ocean).
License is listed as 'other-license-specified'; users must contact GHRC at [email protected] for further information and to obtain the data.