Daily Binned Nitric Acid Mixing Ratios from Aura Satellite

MLS/Aura Level 3 data provides daily binned nitric acid (HNO3) mixing ratios from August 2, 2005 to the present. The dataset is produced by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) using measurements from the Microwave Limb Sounder instrument. Spatial coverage is near-global from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at a resolution of 4° latitude by 5° longitude.

Use Cases

• Analyze HNO3 lat-lon map vs pressure group to study the global distribution of nitric acid in the stratosphere.
• Use lat vs pressure zonal mean data to examine meridional and vertical gradients of HNO3 for climate model validation.
• Investigate vortex average vs potential temperature data to understand polar stratospheric cloud chemistry and ozone hole formation.
• Apply statistical fields (average, min, max, std dev, rms) within each data group to quantify uncertainty and variability in HNO3 measurements.

Strengths

• Data coverage spans from August 2005 to current, providing over 18 years of continuous daily observations.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude with a defined spatial resolution of 4° lat by 5° lon.
• Data is structured into six distinct group objects (e.g., lat-lon map vs pressure, vortex average) each containing multiple statistical measures.

Limitations

• The useful vertical range is limited to between 215 and 1.47 hPa, excluding higher and lower atmospheric layers.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and sample data details are not provided in the source description.
• Data is derived from radiances and requires expert knowledge, as noted by the reference to the EOS MLS Quality Document.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 240 GHz and 190 GHz radiometers on the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument.

Time Range

From August 2, 2005 to current.

Freshness

Data coverage is stated to be from August 2005 to current, indicating ongoing updates.

Geography

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