MLS/Aura Daily Binned Geopotential Height Data from 2004 to Present

August 2, 2004 to current daily binned geopotential height data from the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite. The data provides near-global coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at 4-degree increments and a vertical range between 261 and 0.001 hPa. It is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and archived in netCDF4 format.

Use Cases

• Analyze stratospheric dynamics based on lat vs pressure zonal mean data.
• Study polar vortex behavior based on vortex average vs potential temperature data.
• Model atmospheric wave propagation based on lat vs potential temperature zonal mean data.
• Investigate tracer transport based on equivalent latitude vs potential temperature zonal mean data.

Strengths

• Long temporal coverage from August 2004 to present.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data files contain statistical summaries (average, min, max, std dev, rms) for each grid group.
• Archived in netCDF4 format, compatible with HDF5 readers and tools.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The recommended useful vertical range is limited to between 261 and 0.001 hPa.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 118 and 240 GHz radiometers on the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite.

Time Range

August 2, — 2004 to current

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:33:49.630484; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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