Aura MLS Daily Binned Cloud Ice Content on Zonal Grids

Cloud ice water content (IWC) data derived from radiances measured by the 240 GHz radiometer on NASA's Aura satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). The dataset provides daily binned, near-global measurements on zonal and vertical grids, with each netCDF4 file containing one year of data. The product is developed by the OB_DAAC and is version 4.2.

Use Cases

• Analyzing latitudinal and vertical distributions of cloud ice via the 'lat vs pressure zonal mean' and 'lat vs potential temperature zonal mean' groups.
• Studying polar vortex dynamics using the 'equivalent latitude vs potential temperature' and 'vortex average vs potential temperature' group objects.
• Calculating statistical properties of IWC using the provided data fields for average, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, and root mean square (rms).
• Investigating interannual variability in cloud ice by combining multiple annual netCDF4 files.
• Validating climate and weather model outputs against observed IWC data on a 4-degree latitude grid from -82 to +82 degrees.

Strengths

• Data is binned daily on a consistent 4-degree latitude zonal grid, providing structured spatial aggregation.
• Each data group includes multiple statistical measures (average, min, max, std dev, rms) for analysis.
• The dataset has a defined vertical resolution of about 3 km and a recommended useful range from 215 to 82.5 hPa.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov indicates established curation and importance.

Limitations

• The exact row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• One source incorrectly lists unrelated bio-optical algorithm data from 1991-1995, creating a factual conflict regarding temporal coverage for this dataset.
• The license is specified only as 'other-license-specified', requiring users to investigate terms.

Provenance

Source

NASA Aura satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument, processed by OB_DAAC.

Collection Method

Derived from 240 GHz radiometer radiances, binned daily onto zonal and vertical grids.

Time Range

Each file contains one year of data; specific start and end years are not provided.

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:33:53.644800

Geography

Near-global coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.