ML3MBHNO3: Monthly Binned Nitric Acid Mixing Ratio from Aura Satellite

EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder monthly binned nitric acid data provides near-global atmospheric profiles from August 2005 to the present. The data is derived from 240 GHz and 190 GHz radiometer measurements, with a spatial resolution of 4° latitude by 5° longitude and a useful vertical range from 215 to 1.47 hPa. This product is archived in netCDF4 format by NASA's Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center.

Use Cases

• Modeling stratospheric ozone depletion based on nitric acid mixing ratio profiles.
• Analyzing long-term trends in atmospheric composition based on the near-global, monthly binned data.
• Validating climate model outputs for the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere based on the vertical grid data.
• Studying seasonal and interannual variability in polar stratospheric clouds based on nitric acid measurements.

Strengths

• Long-term temporal coverage from August 2005 to the present.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Data is archived in the widely compatible netCDF4 format.
• Vertical resolution is between about 3 and 5 km.

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 pressures between 215 and 1.47 hPa.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the Microwave Limb Sounder on the EOS Aura satellite.

Time Range

August 2005 to current

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:31:13.952387; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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