OMPS-NPP: Global Formaldehyde Total Column Measurements

NASA's OMPS-NPP L2 NM Formaldehyde (HCHO) Total Column dataset provides global measurements of formaldehyde derived from the Ozone Mapping and Profiling Suite Nadir-Mapper instrument on the Suomi-NPP satellite. Data is derived from radiances at wavelengths between 328.5 and 356.5 nm, with a spatial resolution of 50 km x 50 km at nadir and a swath width of about 2800 km. Each daily granule contains data from the daylight portion of approximately 14.5 orbits.

Use Cases

• Tracking formaldehyde pollution sources and transport based on global, daily swath data.
• Analyzing atmospheric chemistry and oxidation processes based on total column HCHO amounts.
• Validating and improving air quality models using satellite-derived formaldehyde observations.
• Studying spatial and temporal trends in biogenic or anthropogenic volatile organic compound emissions.

Strengths

• Provides global spatial coverage from -90 to 90 degrees latitude.
• Offers daily temporal resolution with approximately 14.5 orbits per day.
• Data is stored in the modern netCDF version 4 format.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• The listed 'last updated' date of 2026-04 09 appears to be a future date, indicating potential metadata error.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the OMPS Nadir-Mapper instrument on the Suomi-NPP satellite.

Time Range

Daily granules; specific start/end dates are not provided.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:27:22.083409 (Note: This is a future date, suggesting a metadata error)

Geography

Global (-90 to 90 degrees latitude)