OMPS-NPP NMSO2_L2: Satellite Sulfur Dioxide Column Measurements

OMPS-NPP L2 NM Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Total and Tropospheric Column data provides retrieved SO2 column amounts from the OMPS Nadir-Mapper sensor on the Suomi-NPP satellite. A direct vertical column fitting algorithm retrieves total column and layer-specific amounts for the lower, middle, and upper troposphere, as well as the lower stratosphere. Data is provided in orbital swath granules with global coverage, a 2600 km swath width, and approximately 50 km resolution at nadir.

Use Cases

• Tracking volcanic SO2 plume dispersion based on layer-specific column retrievals at 2.5 km, 7.5 km, 11 km, and 16 km.
• Monitoring regional anthropogenic pollution sources using the total column SO2 data with global daily coverage.
• Validating atmospheric chemistry and transport models with orbital swath data from approximately 14 orbits per day.
• Studying stratosphere-troposphere exchange processes using the lower stratosphere (centered at 16 km) SO2 column.

Strengths

• Provides vertically resolved SO2 data with retrievals for four distinct atmospheric layers.
• Offers global spatial coverage (-90 to 90 degrees latitude) from a consistent satellite sensor.
• Has a defined spatial resolution of about 50 km x 50 km at nadir across 35 cross-track pixels.

Limitations

• Column names and detailed schema are not provided in the available metadata.
• Metadata conflicts exist: license is listed as 'other-license-specified' on some platforms but 'None' on others.
• Data is limited to daylight portions of orbits, missing nocturnal measurements.

Provenance

Source

GES_DISC / NASA

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Ozone Mapping and Profiling Suite (OMPS) Nadir-Mapper on the Suomi-NPP satellite, using a direct vertical column fitting (DVCF) algorithm.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:15:41.148954

Geography

Global (-90 to 90 degrees latitude)