MODIS Aqua Near-Real-Time Atmospheric Temperature and Moisture Profiles

MODIS/Aqua satellite data provides 30 atmospheric parameters, including temperature and moisture profiles across 20 vertical pressure levels, at a 5-kilometer pixel resolution. Each 8 MB file covers a five-minute observation window, with a total daily volume of approximately 2 GB. The product is developed by NASA's MODIS science team, with Dr. Paul Menzel as principal investigator.

Use Cases

• Model vertical atmospheric stability using the Total Totals and Lifted Index parameters from the atmospheric stability indices.
• Analyze tropospheric water vapor dynamics with the total column water vapor estimate and retrieved dew point temperature profile.
• Retrieve surface and atmospheric temperature conditions using skin temperature and the 20-level retrieved temperature profile.
• Study solar and sensor geometry effects on retrievals using solar zenith, solar azimuth, sensor zenith, and sensor azimuth angles.
• Correlate atmospheric pressure with elevation using retrieved geopotential height profile, surface elevation, and surface pressure data.

Strengths

• Provides 30 distinct atmospheric parameters per observation, including profiles across 20 pressure levels.
• Data has a high spatial resolution of 5 kilometers at nadir and a high temporal resolution with a new file every five minutes.
• Covers both daytime and nighttime conditions for continuous diurnal cycle analysis.

Limitations

• Retrievals require at least 9 cloud-free fields of view, leading to data gaps in persistently cloudy regions.
• Data is stored in HDF-EOS format, which requires specialized libraries for access and processing.
• The description does not specify the historical time range available, limiting assessment of longitudinal study suitability.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata, MODIS science team

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the MODIS instrument aboard the Aqua spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

Near Real Time (NRT)

Geography

Global coverage from satellite swath observations.