Aura MLS Level 2 Geophysical Diagnostic Grids

August 2004 to present data from the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument, containing diagnostic quantities for standard geophysical products. The dataset provides near-global coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude with profiles spaced approximately 165 km along the orbit track. It is produced by the MLS science team and distributed by the GES DISC.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal trends in diagnostic swath data fields from 2004 to present for climate studies.
• Correlating geolocation fields (latitude, longitude) with diagnostic measurements to map global atmospheric features.
• Investigating vertical resolution (3-6 km) of species-specific profiles within the HDF-EOS5 swath objects.
• Using swath attributes and metadata to understand measurement context and quality for specific spectral ranges.

Strengths

• Continuous data collection from August 2004 to the present.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Vertical resolution for profiles ranges from 3 to 6 km.
• Approximately 15 orbits of data collected per day.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column names, and file sizes are not provided.
• Data is stored in HDF-EOS5 format, requiring specialized libraries for access and analysis.
• Vertical resolution varies between species, complicating direct inter-species comparisons at identical altitudes.

Provenance

Source

EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument, processed by the MLS science team.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing measurements processed to Level 2 geophysical diagnostic quantities.

Time Range

August 8, 2004 to current.

Freshness

Data coverage is updated to current, indicating ongoing collection.

Geography

Near-global, -82 degrees to +82 degrees latitude.