PREFIRE: Polar Far-Infrared Radiance from Satellite 2

PREFIRE Satellite 2 raw curated radiance data contains raw digital number counts from a 63-channel push broom spectrometer measuring mid- and far-infrared radiation from approximately 5 to 53 µm. The experiment aims to fill knowledge gaps in the global energy budget by characterizing polar far-infrared emissions, which have not been measured on a large scale. This data, with a 0.707-second temporal resolution, is intended for assimilation into global circulation and climate models to improve future climate predictions.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating far-infrared spectral channels based on raw digital number counts.
• Assimilating polar radiant energy measurements into global climate circulation models.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal patterns of far-infrared emissions, particularly in polar regions.
• Studying the Earth's radiation budget by characterizing a previously under-measured part of the spectrum.

Strengths

• Provides measurements in the under-sampled far-infrared spectrum (5-53 µm) with 63 spectral channels.
• Offers high temporal resolution data collected every 0.707 seconds.
• Features global geographic coverage with a concentrated focus on the polar regions.

Limitations

• Column names and data schema are not specified in any source, limiting immediate usability.
• Data format is binary, which may require specialized tools or documentation for interpretation.
• Sources conflict on the precise start date for PREFIRE Satellite 1 data collection ('July 2024' vs. 'May TBD, 2024').

Provenance

Source

NASA/LARC_CLOUD, from the PREFIRE mission's Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIRS-PREFIRE) aboard Satellite 2.

Collection Method

Satellite-based push broom spectrometer measurements, curated as raw telemetry.

Time Range

Data retrieval started June 29, 2024 and is ongoing.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to nasa_earthdata and datagov.

Geography

Global, with the greatest concentration of data in the polar regions.