Aura MLS Daily Binned Geopotential Height Data on Zonal Grids

MLS/Aura Level 3 Daily Binned Geopotential Height (GPH) is a dataset derived from radiances measured by the 118 and 240 GHz radiometers on the Aura satellite. It provides daily binned data on zonal and vertical grids, with coverage from August 2, 2005, to the present. The data is produced by the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) team and archived by the GES DISC.

Use Cases

• Analyze lat vs pressure zonal mean fields to study the seasonal evolution of the polar vortex.
• Use equivalent latitude vs potential temperature zonal mean groups to examine tracer transport and stratospheric mixing.
• Apply vortex average vs potential temperature data to quantify the strength and stability of the polar vortex.
• Utilize the provided statistical fields (average, min, max, std dev, rms) per grid group to assess variability and uncertainty in geopotential height.

Strengths

• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Long temporal record spanning from August 2005 to the present.
• Data includes multiple statistical measures (average, min, max, std dev, rms) for each grid group.

Limitations

• Vertical resolution varies between approximately 3.6 and 6 km, which may limit fine-scale atmospheric feature analysis.
• The recommended useful vertical range is between 261 and 0.001 hPa, excluding data from other pressure levels.

Provenance

Source

EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument, archived by GES DISC.

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 118 and 240 GHz radiometers, processed to Level 3 daily binned product.

Time Range

August 2, 2005 to current.

Freshness

Data coverage is updated to current, indicating ongoing collection.

Geography

Near-global, -82 to +82 degrees latitude at 4-degree zonal increments.