SOR4XPSD_LOW: Daily Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Irradiance Model

NASA's SORCE mission provides modelled daily solar spectral irradiance in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) range from 0 to 40 nm at 1.0 nm resolution. The data are derived from SORCE XUV Photometer System (XPS) and GOES XRS instrument measurements, incorporating flare plasma temperatures and scale factors for quiet-sun, active-region, and flare conditions. This Level 4 product offers a synthesized, daily-averaged view of solar XUV output for the entire mission duration.

Use Cases

• Modeling ionospheric dynamics based on daily solar XUV irradiance (MODELFLUX).
• Analyzing correlations between solar flare activity and GOES XRS-derived flare scale factors (GOES_FLARE, FMTEMP).
• Studying long-term solar variability using daily quiet-sun and active-region scale factors (XPS_QS, XPS_AR).
• Assessing uncertainty in solar irradiance measurements for instrument calibration (ERR_ABS, ERR_MEAS).

Strengths

• Contains uncertainty estimates for both model accuracy and measurement precision (ERR_ABS, ERR_MEAS).
• Integrates data from two major solar observation instruments (SORCE XPS and GOES XRS).
• Covers the entire mission duration of the SORCE satellite in a single netCDF file.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and precise temporal coverage are missing from all provided sources.
• Conflicting last-updated dates exist between platforms (2026-04-09 on datagov vs. 2020-02-24 on nasa_earthdata).
• Data is averaged over 24-hour periods, limiting temporal resolution for studying short-term solar events.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), SORCE mission.

Collection Method

Modelled spectral irradiances based on calibrated SORCE XUV Photometer System (XPS) data and GOES XRS flare plasma temperatures, using CHIANTI reference spectra.

Time Range

Entire SORCE mission duration (specific dates not provided).

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:56:52.328856 (datagov)