Daily Binned Cloud Ice Water Content from Aura MLS Satellite

MLS/Aura Level 3 Daily Binned Cloud Ice (IWC) V004 provides daily global measurements of cloud ice water content derived from the Microwave Limb Sounder's 240 GHz radiometer. The dataset is produced by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) and is binned onto various vertical grids. Spatial coverage is near-global from -82 to +82 degrees latitude with a resolution of 4° latitude by 5° longitude.

Use Cases

• Analyze lat-lon map vs pressure group data to study the global spatial distribution of cloud ice.
• Use the lat vs pressure zonal mean group to investigate meridional and vertical gradients in ice water content.
• Examine data within the 215 to 82.5 hPa useful vertical range to validate or improve cloud parameterizations in climate models.
• Leverage the equivalent latitude vs potential temperature zonal mean group for studies of polar vortex dynamics and stratospheric clouds.

Strengths

• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data is binned onto multiple grids (e.g., pressure, potential temperature) with statistical fields like average, min, max, and standard deviation per group.
• Vertical resolution is approximately 3 km within the recommended 215 to 82.5 hPa range.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and temporal coverage are not provided in the description.
• Data is limited to the useful vertical range of 215 to 82.5 hPa, excluding higher and lower atmospheric layers.
• Spatial resolution of 4° lat by 5° lon may be too coarse for regional or mesoscale studies.

Provenance

Source

NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC).

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 240 GHz radiometer on the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite.

Time Range

null

Freshness

null

Geography

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