MOD05_L2: Terra Satellite Total Precipitable Water Vapor at 1km and 5km Resolution

The MODIS/Terra Total Precipitable Water Vapor 5-Min L2 Swath 1km and 5km (MOD05_L2) product consists of atmospheric column water-vapor amounts. It is derived from data collected by the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra satellite. The dataset includes two algorithms: a daytime near-infrared algorithm at 1-km resolution and a day/night infrared algorithm at 5-km resolution.

Use Cases

• Modeling atmospheric moisture transport based on global column water-vapor amounts.
• Analyzing diurnal water vapor cycles based on day/night infrared algorithm data.
• Studying water vapor over clear land and ocean areas using near-infrared algorithm retrievals.
• Validating climate model outputs against satellite-derived precipitable water vapor profiles.

Strengths

• Provides data from the NASA Terra satellite's MODIS instrument.
• Offers two spatial resolutions: 1-km from the near-infrared algorithm and 5-km from the infrared algorithm.
• Infrared algorithm provides day and night coverage, enhancing temporal analysis.

Limitations

• The near-infrared algorithm is only applied during daytime and over specific surfaces, limiting its spatial and temporal coverage.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from data collected by the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:36:09.334003; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global