Nimbus-7 Limb Infrared Stratospheric Radiance Measurements 1978-1979

LIMS/Nimbus-7 Level 1 Radiance Data contains calibrated, earth-located radiances from the Earth's limb measured day and night in six spectral bands. The dataset covers one orbit per file, with near-global spatial coverage between -64 and +84 degrees latitude and vertical coverage from 10 to 65 km. Principal investigators Dr. James M. Russell, III and Dr. John Gille produced the data, which is available from 25 October 1978 through 30 May 1979.

Use Cases

• Analyzing stratospheric temperature and composition trends using radiances from six spectral bands (6.2, 6.3, 9.6, 11.3, and two at 15 micrometers).
• Validating modern atmospheric models by comparing them with historical limb radiance profiles from 10 to 50 km altitude.
• Studying diurnal atmospheric variations by examining day and night radiance measurements across near-global latitudes (-64 to +84 degrees).
• Investigating instrument calibration and effects by working with data containing housekeeping, instrument status, and quality information fields.

Strengths

• Provides data from six distinct spectral bands for atmospheric profiling.
• Offers near-global spatial coverage between latitudes -64 and +84 degrees.
• Contains vertical profiles with approximately 1.5 km resolution from 10 to 65 km altitude.
• Includes both day and night measurements for diurnal cycle analysis.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a 7-month period from October 1978 to May 1979.
• Radiances are not corrected for instrument effects like field-of-view, electronic delay, and spacecraft motion.
• Sample size and row count are unknown, limiting statistical assessment.

Provenance

Source

NASA Nimbus-7 satellite Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) instrument, archived at GES DISC.

Collection Method

Satellite-based limb profiler measuring Earth limb radiances.

Time Range

25 October 1978 to 30 May 1979.

Freshness

Data collection ended on 30 May 1979; it is a historical archive.

Geography

Near-global coverage between latitude -64 and +84 degrees.