Daily Upper Tropospheric Temperature Grids from MSU Satellite Instruments

Gridded upper tropospheric temperature data derived from Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) satellite instruments. The dataset applies the Spencer and Christy (1990) algorithm with a LIMB93 limb correction based on latitude, longitude, month, and scan angle. The data was produced by the GES DISC organization and last updated in December 1994.

Use Cases

• Analyze temperature trends over time using the daily gridded temperature values.
• Validate climate model outputs against satellite-derived upper tropospheric temperature observations.
• Study the spatial distribution of upper tropospheric temperatures using the 2.5-degree latitude/longitude grid.
• Apply the LIMB93 limb correction algorithm based on latitude, longitude, month, and scan angle to improve data accuracy.

Strengths

• Data derived from multiple MSU satellite platforms, providing a consolidated source.
• Algorithm includes a specific limb correction (LIMB93) based on four parameters: latitude, longitude, month, and scan angle.
• Gridded at a 2.5-degree latitude/longitude resolution for spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Data last updated in 1994, making it temporally stale for contemporary climate studies.
• Specific row count, column details, and sample size are unknown.
• North and south of 66.7 degrees, data assignment uses a weighted method, which may introduce interpolation artifacts.

Provenance

Source

GES DISC (NASA's Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center).

Collection Method

Derived from MSU instrument measurements using the Spencer and Christy (1990) algorithm with LIMB93 correction.

Geography

Global coverage, with specific data handling north and south of 66.7 degrees latitude.