MLS/Aura: Monthly Cloud Ice Content on Global Grids

ML3MBIWC is the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder monthly binned product for cloud ice water content, produced by NASA. The data provides near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at a resolution of 4 by 5 degrees, with a recommended vertical range from 215 to 82.5 hPa. Files are archived in netCDF4 format and contain six group objects including lat-lon maps and zonal means.

Use Cases

• Modeling global cloud ice distribution based on monthly binned lat-lon maps.
• Analyzing vertical profiles of ice water content based on pressure and potential temperature grids.
• Studying atmospheric dynamics using zonal mean and vortex average data groups.
• Validating climate model outputs against satellite-derived cloud microphysics observations.

Strengths

• Spatial coverage is near-global, spanning -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data includes multiple statistical measures per grid: average, min, max, standard deviation, and RMS.
• Files are in netCDF4 format, compatible with standard geoscience tools and HDF5 readers.

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 215 to 82.5 hPa.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Monthly binned data; specific temporal coverage is not provided in the input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:02:52.455766; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Near-global, from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at 4° latitude by 5° longitude resolution.