MODIS/Aqua MYD08_E3: 8-Day Global Atmospheric Aerosols, Ozone, and Clouds

NASA's MODIS/Aqua MYD08_E3 product provides 8-day, 1-degree gridded global averages for nearly 1000 atmospheric parameters. The dataset includes aerosol particle properties, total ozone burden, atmospheric water vapor, cloud optical and physical properties, and atmospheric stability indices. It is designed for studying Earth's energy budget, climate interactions, and seasonal changes in cirrus cloud cover.

Use Cases

• Investigating seasonal changes in cirrus cloud cover and cloud phase using multispectral observations.
• Analyzing the interaction between aerosols, water vapor, and trace gases and their effect on Earth's energy budget.
• Mapping global aerosol optical depth and particle properties over an 8-day temporal composite.
• Studying atmospheric stability indices derived from cloud and water vapor parameters.

Strengths

• Contains nearly 1000 distinct statistical datasets (SDS's) for detailed atmospheric analysis.
• Provides global coverage on a consistent 1-degree by 1-degree latitude-longitude grid (360x180 pixels).
• Includes derived statistical quantities such as standard deviations and quality assurance weighted means for each parameter.

Limitations

• Specific column names and detailed data schema are not provided in the available metadata.
• The dataset size and exact row count are unknown, limiting precise assessment of data volume.
• The 'last updated' date of 2026-04-10 appears to be a future date, indicating a potential metadata error.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the MODIS instrument aboard the Aqua satellite, processed to Level-3 global gridded products.

Freshness

2026-04-10 00:23:55.175343

Geography

Global