GOZCARDS: Merged Satellite Water Vapor Data on a Vertical Pressure Grid

1991 onward merged water vapor measurements from three satellite instruments (HALOE, ACE-FTS, Aura MLS) after bias removal and averaging. The data provides monthly zonal averages on a vertical pressure grid from 147 to 0.01 hPa, including statistical information like standard deviation and min/max values. It is produced by NASA and distributed by the GES DISC in netCDF4 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in upper atmospheric water vapor based on merged satellite records from 1991 onward.
• Studying the vertical distribution of water vapor in the atmosphere based on pressure-level data from 147 to 0.01 hPa.
• Validating climate model outputs for atmospheric composition using zonal mean satellite observations.
• Investigating inter-instrument biases and data consistency using the merging methodology described.

Strengths

• Data merges records from three established satellite instruments (HALOE, ACE-FTS, Aura MLS), potentially improving continuity.
• Covers a long temporal range, with source data starting in 1991 and extending onward.
• Provides derived statistical metrics like zonal means, standard deviations, and minimum/maximum values.
• Vertical pressure coverage spans from 147 hPa to 0.01 hPa, capturing a significant portion of the upper atmosphere.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and exact spatial granularity (beyond 10-degree zonal means) are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal and instrumental bias inherent to the merging of three distinct satellite sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Merging and bias removal of source data from HALOE, ACE-FTS, and Aura MLS satellite instruments.

Time Range

1991 onward

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:00:22.993808; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global zonal averages