Daily Binned Atmospheric Temperature Profiles from Aura MLS Satellite

ML3DBT provides daily binned temperature data derived from radiances measured by the 118 and 240 GHz radiometers on NASA's EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). The dataset offers near-global coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at a spatial resolution of 4 degrees latitude by 5 degrees longitude. It is produced by the GES DISC and uses data version 5.1.

Use Cases

• Analyze lat-lon map vs pressure group data to study daily temperature anomalies and their spatial distribution across pressure levels.
• Use lat vs pressure zonal mean group to examine meridional (north-south) temperature gradients and their seasonal evolution.
• Investigate vortex average vs theta group data to track polar vortex stability and temperature changes within the vortex.
• Apply statistical fields (average, min, max, std dev, rms) within each data group to quantify daily temperature variability and extremes.
• Correlate equivalent lat vs theta zonal mean data with other atmospheric datasets to study transport processes and potential vorticity.

Strengths

• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data is binned onto multiple vertical grids (pressure and theta) with a recommended useful range from 261 to 0.001 hPa.
• Each data file contains six distinct group objects with statistical summaries (average, min, max, std dev, rms) and geolocation fields.

Limitations

• Spatial resolution is coarse at 4 degrees latitude by 5 degrees longitude, limiting fine-scale analysis.
• The vertical resolution varies between 3 and 6 km, which may be insufficient for resolving some thin atmospheric layers.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and exact temporal coverage are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

NASA EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument, processed and archived by the GES DISC.

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 118 and 240 GHz radiometers, binned daily on various vertical grids.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

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