GPSROZPBLS: Global Planetary Boundary Layer Height Seasonal Averages, 2006-2015

Global seasonal averages of planetary boundary layer (PBL) height derived from GPS radio occultation measurements. The data spans from June 2006 to December 2015, produced by NASA using instruments aboard the COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 and TerraSAR-X satellites. PBL heights are calculated from refractivity profiles and binned into 2-degree latitude/longitude grids.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal and spatial patterns of atmospheric boundary layer depth based on the 2-degree gridded climatology.
• Validating and improving climate model simulations of the lower troposphere using the satellite-derived PBL height estimates.
• Studying coastal atmospheric transitions using data flagged for potential land-ocean averaging effects.
• Comparing PBL height retrieval algorithms using the refractivity gradient method described in the dataset.

Strengths

• Data derived from a six-satellite constellation (COSMIC) and an additional satellite (TerraSAR-X), providing global coverage.
• Covers a multi-year time range from June 2006 to December 2015.
• PBL heights are calculated using a specific algorithm (minimum vertical gradient of refractivity) designed to detect the free troposphere transition.
• Data is binned and averaged into a 2-degree latitude/longitude grid, providing a structured climatology product.

Limitations

• This dataset has been superseded by version 2, indicating it is not the latest release.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Occultations near coasts average over ~100 km horizontally, mixing land and ocean signals, which requires careful interpretation.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from GPS radio occultation measurements by IGOR receivers on COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 and TerraSAR-X satellites.

Time Range

June 2006 to December 2015

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 01:40:49.596974; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global