OMAERUV: Aerosol Properties from OMI Satellite Swath Data

NASA's OMAERUV product provides Level-2 aerosol data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard the Aura satellite. It contains aerosol optical depth, single scattering albedo, absorption optical depth, and UV aerosol index at three wavelengths (354, 388, and 500 nm) for the sunlit portion of each orbit. Data is stored in NetCDF files, with each file covering approximately 53 minutes and a spatial resolution of 13x24 km per observation.

Use Cases

• Tracking aerosol transport and pollution events based on UV Aerosol Index and Aerosol Optical Depth.
• Estimating aerosol radiative forcing based on Absorption Optical Depth and Single Scattering Albedo.
• Analyzing aerosol-cloud interactions based on Aerosol Optical Depth over clouds.
• Validating climate and air quality models based on geolocated, multi-wavelength aerosol properties.

Strengths

• Data is produced by a defined algorithm from the US OMI Team Scientists, with a named principal investigator (Dr. Omar Torres).
• Provides specific aerosol parameters at three wavelengths (354, 388, and 500 nm) with a defined spatial resolution (13x24 km).
• Has a structured, multi-platform presence (NASA Earthdata and Data.gov), indicating institutional support and curation.

Limitations

• Column names and a complete data schema are not provided in the available metadata.
• The exact temporal coverage and total row count are unknown.
• One source lists a license as 'other-license-specified' while another lists 'None', creating ambiguity.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-04-09 23:28:44.753429

Geography

Global coverage from satellite swaths.