OMPS-N20: Near Real-Time Aerosol Index from Satellite Swath

OMPS-N20 satellite data provides a near real-time aerosol index derived from normalized radiances using two wavelength pairs at 340 and 378.5 nanometers. The swath orbital product also contains measurements of normalized radiances, reflectivity, cloud fraction, and other ancillary variables. This dataset is a near real-time version, with a standard product referenced separately.

Use Cases

• Tracking aerosol plumes from wildfires or volcanic eruptions based on the derived aerosol index.
• Monitoring atmospheric composition and air quality using the measured normalized radiances and reflectivity.
• Assessing cloud contamination in aerosol retrievals using the included cloud fraction data.
• Studying the spatial distribution of atmospheric particulates using the swath orbital geospatial data.

Strengths

• Provides near real-time data, which is critical for monitoring dynamic atmospheric events.
• Derives the aerosol index from a specific, documented methodology using two wavelength pairs (340 and 378.5 nm).
• Contains multiple ancillary variables, including normalized radiances, reflectivity, and cloud fraction.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are not provided in any source, limiting detailed understanding.
• Conflicting license information is present, with some sources listing 'other-license-specified' and others 'None'.
• No information on dataset size, row count, or temporal coverage is available.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the OMPS-N20 instrument.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-10 according to the most recent platform entry.

Geography

Global swath coverage from satellite orbit.