ML3MBH2O: Monthly Binned Water Vapor Mixing Ratio from Aura Satellite

Monthly binned water vapor data derived from radiances measured by the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) 190 GHz radiometer. The data version is 5.1, with near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude at a 4x5 degree resolution. It is archived in netCDF4 format by NASA's GES DISC.

Use Cases

• Modeling stratospheric humidity trends based on monthly binned averages across pressure levels.
• Analyzing zonal mean water vapor distributions based on latitude vs pressure data groups.
• Studying polar vortex dynamics using the vortex average vs theta data group.
• Assessing spatial variability in atmospheric water vapor using lat-lon map data with statistical fields (average, min, max, std dev, rms).

Strengths

• Data version 5.1 indicates a mature, processed product.
• Near-global spatial coverage from -82 to +82 degrees latitude.
• Vertical resolution is specified, ranging from about 1.5 km at 316 hPa to 15 km above 0.1 hPa.
• Files contain six structured group objects with statistical and geolocation fields.

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 between 316 and 0.00215 hPa, indicating data degradation outside this range.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) via the GES DISC.

Collection Method

Derived from radiances measured by the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) 190 GHz radiometer.

Time Range

Monthly binned data; specific start and end dates are not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:00:31.899995; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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