OMGLER: Global Surface Reflectance for Atmospheric Algorithms

OMI/Aura Global Geometry-Dependent Surface LER (OMGLER) provides geometry-dependent Lambert-equivalent surface reflectance (GLER) and derived top-of-atmosphere radiance for the Ozone Monitoring Instrument's field of view. The dataset includes ancillary input parameters for each pixel and is intended to supply surface reflectance information for cloud, aerosol, and trace gas retrieval algorithms. Data is provided in netCDF format for the daylit portion of each orbit, with approximately 14 files generated per day.

Use Cases

• Replacing static LER climatologies in existing OMI retrieval algorithms based on the provided geometry-dependent GLER values.
• Analyzing top-of-atmosphere radiance for atmospheric correction studies based on the computed radiance data from which GLER is derived.
• Investigating surface reflectance variability using the ancillary input parameters stored for each OMI pixel.
• Supporting cloud masking and aerosol optical depth retrieval by providing a key surface reflectance input.

Strengths

• Algorithm developed by a named scientist (Wenhan Qin) with product lead from the OMI US science team leader (Joanna J. Joiner).
• Data is provided in a standard, self-describing scientific format (version 4 netCDF).
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its importance and official status.

Limitations

• Column names and a complete data schema are not provided in the available metadata, limiting immediate usability.
• Key metadata like row count, total size, and author are missing or inconsistent across sources.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without providing the specific terms.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard the Aura spacecraft.

Time Range

Coverage corresponds to the Aura mission lifetime; specific start and end dates are not provided.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:29:52.840421

Geography

Global swath data from the OMI instrument's 13x24 km field of view.