ML2DGM: EOS Aura MLS Diagnostic Quantities on a Miscellaneous Grid

MLS/Aura Level 2 Diagnostics, Miscellaneous Grid V004 (ML2DGM) is a satellite product containing minor frame diagnostic quantities from the Microwave Limb Sounder instrument. The data version is 4.2, with coverage from August 8, 2004 to current, and near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude. It is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and stored in HDF5 format, with two files generated per day.

Use Cases

• Analyzing retrieval quality based on chi-square values describing fits to measured radiances.
• Investigating cloud effects on radiances using inferred cloud-induced radiances for selected spectral channels.
• Studying vertical atmospheric structure using tangent pressure data on the miscellaneous grid.
• Assessing data density and sampling along the orbit track based on the 1.5-degree profile spacing.

Strengths

• Data coverage spans from August 2004 to current, providing a long-term record.
• Spatial coverage is near-global, from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Vertical resolution varies between species and typically ranges from 3 to 6 km.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument.

Time Range

August 8, 2004 to current

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:35:08.701869; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Near-global (-82 degrees to +82 degrees latitude)