MYD05_L2: Aqua Satellite Total Precipitable Water Vapor at 1km and 5km Resolution

The MYD05_L2 dataset provides atmospheric column water-vapor amounts derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Aqua satellite. It uses two algorithms: a near-infrared method for daytime over land and clouds at 1-km resolution, and an infrared method for day and night at 5-km resolution. The data is part of the MODIS Atmosphere Collection 6.1 processing suite.

Use Cases

• Modeling atmospheric moisture transport based on total precipitable water vapor estimates.
• Analyzing diurnal water vapor cycles using day-and-night infrared algorithm data.
• Studying water vapor over land surfaces using near-infrared algorithm retrievals.
• Investigating sun glint area water vapor over oceans based on the near-infrared algorithm's extended coverage.

Strengths

• Provides data from two distinct algorithms (near-infrared and infrared) for different conditions.
• Offers two spatial resolutions: 1 km for near-infrared retrievals and 5 km for infrared retrievals.
• Produced by NASA and part of the MODIS Atmosphere Collection 6.1 (061) processing suite.

Limitations

• The near-infrared algorithm is only for daytime over specific surfaces and is no longer being updated by NASA for Collection 6.1.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from data collected by the MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite.

Time Range

Coverage corresponds to the Aqua satellite's operational timeline.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:44:50.429325; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage, with algorithm-specific applicability over land and ocean.