HIRDLS Satellite CFC-12 Zonal Fourier Coefficients For Atmospheric Modeling

Zonal Fourier coefficients for Chlorofluorocarbon-12 (CFC-12) derived from the HIRDLS instrument aboard NASA's Aura satellite. The dataset contains the entire ~3-year mission, with coefficients provided in 1-degree latitude bands from -64 to 80 degrees across 121 pressure levels. Data was produced by the GES DISC and last updated in March 2008.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct global 3D CFC-12 concentration fields at any longitude using the provided mean and up to 7 sine/cosine coefficients.
• Analyze diurnal cycles by comparing coefficients for ascending (daytime) and descending (nighttime) orbit nodes.
• Study vertical transport processes using data on the 121-level pressure grid, which has approximately 1 km resolution.
• Assess data precision for model validation using the root-mean-square difference fields between estimated and input data.
• Investigate latitudinal gradients of CFC 12 from -64 to 80 degrees latitude within the useful vertical range of 316 to 8.3 hPa.

Strengths

• Provides full mission coverage of ~3 years of HIRDLS observations.
• High vertical resolution with data on 121 pressure levels, approximately 1 km per level.
• Coefficients enable longitude-independent analysis and reconstruction of global fields.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage ends in 2008, making the data stale for analyzing recent atmospheric states.
• Latitudinal coverage is limited from -64 to 80 degrees, excluding polar regions above 80 degrees.
• Data format is HDF-EOS5, which requires specific libraries or tools for access and processing.

Provenance

Source

GES DISC (Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center), NASA.

Collection Method

Coefficients computed from HIRDLS Level 2 profiles using a Kalman filter approach with forward and backward passes in time.

Time Range

Covers the entire HIRDLS mission, approximately 3 years up to 2008.

Freshness

Last updated 2008-03-17; no ongoing updates indicated.

Geography

Global, zonal bands from -64 to 80 degrees latitude.