AER_RTAP provides a suite of 13 geophysical variables characterizing aerosol loading, size, and absorption, retrieved using the RemoTAP algorithm from PACE SPEXone satellite observations. This NASA Earthdata product supports near real-time analysis for air-quality and climate applications. The data is produced by OB_CLOUD.
Use Cases
- Model aerosol radiative forcing by integrating aerosol optical thickness (aot) and single scattering albedo (ssa) into climate simulations.
- Distinguish fine and coarse pollution particles for air-quality studies using fine mode fraction (fmf) and effective radii (reff_fine, reff_coarse).
- Characterize aerosol composition and type by analyzing the aerosol refractive index (mr, mi) and lidar depolarization ratio (lidar_depol_ratio).
- Perform atmospheric correction for ocean-color data by using aerosol optical thickness (aot) and Ångström exponent (angstrom_440_670) as context.
- Study aerosol vertical distribution and phase using lidar backscatter coefficient (lidar_bsca_total) and phase function (lidar_p11_pi).
Strengths
- Provides 13 distinct aerosol property variables for multi-faceted analysis.
- Data is processed for near real-time availability, enabling timely studies.
- Global spatial mapping offers comprehensive geographic coverage for atmospheric trends.
Limitations
- Specific row count, temporal coverage, and data volume are unknown, limiting reproducibility assessments.
- The description lacks explicit information on validation status or potential measurement uncertainties for the retrieved variables.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Earthdata, from PACE SPEXone satellite observations.
- Collection Method
- Retrieved using the RemoTAP algorithm applied to satellite remote sensing data.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- Near real-time
- Geography
- Global