GOES-8 L3 Gridded Surface Radiation and Rain Rate for Amazonia: 1999

Two periods in 1999, from March 1 to April 30 and September 1 to October 31, are covered by this satellite-derived dataset. It provides high-resolution, half-hourly measurements of downwelling solar radiation, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), infrared radiation, and rain rates over the Amazon watershed at an 8km spatial resolution. The data is sourced from the GOES-8 imager and is stored in compressed binary format.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface energy budgets based on downwelling solar and infrared radiation measurements.
• Analyzing precipitation patterns and intensity using the half-hourly rain rate data.
• Estimating vegetation productivity and carbon uptake through photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) data.
• Validating regional climate models with gridded, high-temporal-resolution satellite observations.

Strengths

• Provides data for two distinct seasonal periods in 1999, capturing temporal variation.
• Offers high temporal resolution with half-hourly measurements.
• Features a specific 8km spatial grid over the Amazon watershed, providing regional detail.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low; specific column names and row counts are not provided.
• Data freshness is conflicted; one source lists a 2005 update, while another shows a 2026 date, suggesting potential metadata errors.
• Coverage is limited to two specific months in 1999, not a continuous annual record.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Retrieved from GOES-8 satellite imager.

Time Range

1999-03-01 to 1999-04-30 and 1999-09-01 to 1999-10-31

Freshness

Conflicted: sources list last updates of 2005-06-29 and 2026-04-10.

Geography

Primarily the Amazon watershed area.