PREFIRE_SAT1_2B-FLX: Polar Far-Infrared Spectral Flux from CubeSat

PREFIRE's Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIRS-PREFIRE) aboard the PREFIRE-SAT1 CubeSat measures mid- and far-infrared radiation across 63 spectral channels from approximately 5 to 53 µm. This dataset contains derived spectral flux at the top of the atmosphere and broadband Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR), retrieved via an Optimal Estimation method using auxiliary cloud and meteorological data. Its primary purpose is to quantify the polar energy budget by characterizing previously unmeasured far-infrared emissions on a large scale.

Use Cases

• Assessing polar radiative activities and energy budget based on derived spectral and broadband OLR flux.
• Validating and improving global circulation models based on assimilated far-infrared emission data.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of longwave radiation based on the eight-track orbital swath with ~264 km width.
• Studying cloud and surface interactions in polar regions based on inputs from cloud mask and auxiliary meteorology collections.

Strengths

• Provides novel, large-scale measurements of far-infrared radiation (5-53 µm) from polar regions, filling a key knowledge gap.
• Data is derived using a multi-source Optimal Estimation retrieval, incorporating cloud mask and meteorological auxiliary data.
• Offers high spatial granularity with eight distinct tracks per swath and initial scene footprints of 11.8 km x 34.8 km.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as column names, row counts, and exact file sizes are not provided on any platform.
• The scene footprint and swath sizes are noted to change over time as the satellite's orbit altitude decreases.
• Documentation is incomplete; the specific terms of the 'other-license-specified' are not detailed.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the PREFIRE Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIRS-PREFIRE) aboard the PREFIRE-SAT1 CubeSat and processed via Optimal Estimation retrieval.

Time Range

Science data retrieval started July 24, 2024 and is ongoing.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04 09 23:10:30.506000 according to datagov.

Geography

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