MODIS/Aqua Monthly Global Atmospheric Parameters at 1-Degree Resolution

Global monthly atmospheric data from NASA's Aqua satellite MODIS instrument provides 1x1 degree grid averages for roughly 800 parameters, including aerosol properties, ozone, water vapor, and cloud characteristics. The dataset is derived from daily Level-3 products and summarized into monthly intervals for analysis of Earth's energy budget and climate interactions. It is produced and maintained by NASA's LAADS organization.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal and inter-annual changes in global cirrus cloud cover using cloud optical property parameters.
• Investigating the impact of aerosol particle properties, such as optical depth, on atmospheric radiative flux.
• Studying the global distribution and burden of total ozone and atmospheric water vapor over monthly timescales.
• Correlating atmospheric stability indices with other land surface and oceanic properties for climate interaction studies.
• Using quality assurance weighted means and standard deviations for statistical validation of atmospheric models.

Strengths

• Contains approximately 800 distinct statistical datasets derived from daily observations, enabling detailed multi-parameter analysis.
• Provides global coverage on a consistent 1x1 degree equal-angle grid, facilitating spatial comparisons.
• Includes derived statistical quantities like standard deviations and quality assurance weighted means for each parameter.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column list are not provided by any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms, requiring users to investigate further.
• Data is stored in HDF-EOS format, which may require specialized software or libraries for access and processing.

Provenance

Source

NASA LAADS, derived from MODIS/Aqua Level-3 Atmosphere Daily Global Product.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the MODIS instrument on the Aqua platform, processed into monthly 1-degree grid averages.

Time Range

Monthly intervals; specific start and end dates are not provided.

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:25:04.353087

Geography

Global