SSBUV: Upper Atmosphere Ozone Profiles from Shuttle Missions

Eight space shuttle missions between 1989 and 1996 collected ozone profile and total column data. The Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) instrument measured spectral ultraviolet radiances backscattered by the atmosphere at wavelengths between 252.2 and 339.99 nm. These Level-2 data provide ozone profiles at 19 pressure levels and total column ozone values for specific flight dates.

Use Cases

• Validating long-term satellite ozone records based on SSBUV's calibration against SBUV/2 instruments.
• Analyzing upper atmosphere ozone profiles based on measurements at 19 pressure levels between 0.3 mb and 100 mb.
• Studying spectral ultraviolet radiance backscatter based on wavelength steps between 252.2 and 339.99 nm.
• Examining ozone data from specific shuttle missions based on the eight listed flight periods.
• Calculating total column ozone values based on nadir-view measurements with a 50 km x 50 km footprint.

Strengths

• Provides a calibrated reference dataset from eight shuttle missions flown between 1989 and 1996.
• Offers detailed vertical profiling with measurements at 19 specific pressure levels.
• Covers specific, documented flight dates for each mission, providing discrete temporal samples.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low; column names, row counts, and exact data size are unknown.
• Data freshness is conflicted; one source lists a last update in 2026, another in 1996.
• The dataset's temporal coverage is discontinuous, limited to the specific days of the eight shuttle flights.

Provenance

Source

GES_DISC

Collection Method

Measured by the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) instrument on eight space shuttle missions.

Time Range

1989 to 1996

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:04:08.587725

Geography

Global, from nadir-view measurements with a 50 km x 50 km footprint.