SAFARI 2000 TOVS Atmospheric Soundings for Southern Africa

Southern Africa atmospheric and surface parameters derived from NOAA polar-orbiting satellite TOVS sensor suites. This dataset contains pentad (5-day) images for 73 periods per year, covering parameters like layer temperatures, cloud fractions, and precipitable water from 1999 to 2001. Data were processed by the SAFARI 2000 project from 1-degree global fields, with separate files for AM and PM satellite orbits.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term temperature trends using layer mean temperature at 4 coarse layers and temperature at multiple levels.
• Studying cloud dynamics and radiative effects via total effective cloud fraction, cloud fractions at 7 pressure layers, and longwave cloud radiative forcing.
• Investigating hydrological cycles through precipitation estimate and precipitable water vapor above the surface and four pressure levels.
• Examining surface-atmosphere interactions using surface skin temperature, surface pressure, and specific humidity at surface and at 5 pressure layers.
• Monitoring climate phenomena like stratospheric warmings with retrieved virtual temperature between levels and outgoing long-wave radiation.

Strengths

• Provides data from both AM and PM satellite overpasses, enabling diurnal cycle analysis for each parameter.
• Contains 73 pentad (5-day) images per year, offering consistent temporal resolution across the 1999-2001 period.
• Derived from a suite of three calibrated sensors (MSU, HIRS, SSU) aboard operational NOAA satellites.
• Parameters selected for specific research goals of the SAFARI 2000 campaign in southern Africa.

Limitations

• Conflicting last updated dates: one source states 2001-12-31, while others list 2026-03-12, indicating potential metadata inconsistency.
• Exact row count, file size, and complete column names are unknown across all platforms.
• Spatial resolution is coarse at 1 degree x 1 degree.

Provenance

Source

NOAA TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) sensor suite aboard polar-orbiting satellites, processed by SAFARI 2000.

Collection Method

Parameters extracted from 1-degree global fields and stored as annual files of pentad images in band sequential (BSQ) format.

Time Range

1999 to 2001

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:46:15.988622

Geography

Southern Africa, extracted from global fields.