MLS/Aura Satellite Data: Monthly Relative Humidity With Respect To Ice on Global Grids

ML3MBRHI is the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder monthly binned product for relative humidity with respect to ice, version 5.1. The dataset provides near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at a resolution of 4 by 5 degrees, with a vertical range from 316 to 0.0215 hPa. Data is archived in netCDF4 format by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global humidity distribution patterns based on the lat-lon map vs pressure data groups.
• Studying vertical profiles of atmospheric water vapor based on the dataset's vertical resolution of 3 to 6 km.
• Calculating zonal mean statistics for climate model validation using the lat vs pressure zonal mean group.
• Investigating polar vortex dynamics using the vortex average vs theta data group.

Strengths

• Provides near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Offers data across a wide vertical range from 316 to 0.0215 hPa.
• Includes multiple statistical measures per data group: average, min, max, std dev, and rms.
• Archived in netCDF4 format, which is compatible with HDF5 readers and tools.

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 suggests data quality may vary outside 316 to 0.0215 hPa.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the 118 and 190 GHz radiometers on the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder satellite.

Time Range

Monthly binned data; specific temporal coverage is not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:30:59.330133; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Near-global coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at 4 by 5-degree spatial resolution.