MODATML2: Terra Satellite Atmospheric Swath Data

MODIS/Terra's MODATML2 product provides a 5-minute Level 2 swath of key atmospheric parameters at 5km and 10km scales. It contains a subset of aerosol, cloud, and water vapor datasets, employing a 5x5 pixel sampling scheme for 1km native data to retain statistical integrity for multi-day aggregations. The product's smaller granule size is designed to be a practical means for researchers to develop custom Level 3 algorithms.

Use Cases

• Analyzing aerosol optical depth trends over specific regions based on the 10km aerosol data.
• Developing custom Level 3 cloud property algorithms using the sampled 5km and 1km cloud datasets.
• Studying atmospheric humidity patterns through the included water vapor indicators.
• Validating global climate models with spatially and temporally consistent satellite observations.

Strengths

• Cross-platform presence on data.gov and NASA EarthData signals established importance and reliability.
• Collection 6 (C6) significantly increased the number of included datasets, including full QA suites.
• Sampling scheme is consistent with the official MOD08 Level 3 product, designed to retain statistical integrity.

Limitations

• Column names and specific row/size metadata are not provided by any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• License is listed as 'other-license-specified' on data.gov but is 'None' on NASA EarthData, indicating a conflict or lack of clarity.
• Descriptions are identical across platforms but lack concrete examples of the 'key high interest science parameters'.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the MODIS instrument aboard the Terra spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-04-10 00:49:58.381407

Geography

Global swath coverage from the Terra satellite's orbit.