GOZCARDS Source Water Vapor: 1-Month Zonal Averages on a Vertical Pressure Grid

1991 onward, this dataset provides 1-month Level 3 zonal averages of atmospheric water vapor from four satellite instruments. The data, produced by NASA, includes statistical information like standard deviation and min/max values on a vertical pressure grid ranging from 147 to 0.01 hPa. It serves as the source for a separate merged water vapor product.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in stratospheric water vapor based on zonal means from multiple satellite instruments.
• Validating merged atmospheric data products using the source statistical information (standard deviation, min/max).
• Studying the vertical distribution of water vapor based on the pressure grid from 147 to 0.01 hPa.

Strengths

• Integrates data from four distinct satellite instruments (HALOE, UARS MLS, ACE-FTS, Aura MLS) covering a period from 1991 onward.
• Provides derived statistical metrics like standard deviation and minimum/maximum values alongside zonal means.
• Covers a specific vertical pressure range for water vapor from 147 to 0.01 hPa.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Zonal means calculated from original Level 2 satellite instrument data.

Time Range

1991 onward

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:30:47.318806; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global zonal averages