SMMR_ALW_PRABHAKARA: Monthly Atmospheric Liquid Water Grids

Global 3° by 5° gridded monthly mean atmospheric liquid water data derived from the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR). The dataset provides measurements in units of mg/cm², covering the period from February 1979 to May 1984. It was generated by Dr. Prabhakara Cuddapah at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center using SMMR antenna temperatures.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in atmospheric moisture content based on monthly gridded means.
• Validating climate model simulations of water vapor using historical satellite-derived observations.
• Studying the spatial distribution of atmospheric liquid water on a global 3°x5° grid.
• Investigating the hydrological cycle during the late 1970s and early 1980s from a satellite perspective.

Strengths

• Provides a consistent, multi-year time series from a single instrument (SMMR) from 1979 to 1984.
• Data is spatially gridded at a uniform 3° by 5° resolution, facilitating global analysis.
• Originates from an authoritative source (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low: specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are unknown across all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (1984 vs. 2026), indicating potential metadata freshness issues.
• The dataset's age means it represents early-generation satellite retrievals with inherent limitations in resolution and accuracy compared to modern sensors.

Provenance

Source

Dr. Prabhakara Cuddapah at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Collection Method

Generated using SMMR Antenna Temperatures, with methodology discussion available from the Langley DAAC.

Time Range

February 1979 to May 1984

Freshness

1984-05-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Global