CLIMCAPS V2.1: Atmospheric Profiles from Aqua AIRS

CLIMCAPS algorithm produces 240 granules daily from the Aqua satellite's AIRS instrument, each representing 6 minutes of data across 30 footprints and 45 lines. This dataset provides vertical profiles of atmospheric gases, humidity, and temperature at fixed pressure levels, using MERRA-2 reanalysis as a first-guess. Products have a latency of 3 to 7 weeks and include per-field quality flags.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of gas mixing ratios for atmospheric chemistry studies.
• Monitoring tropopause properties and temperature for climate model validation.
• Estimating total column water vapor and layered precipitable water for hydrology.
• Assessing surface and upper-air temperature profiles for weather and climate research.
• Tracking atmospheric state quality using per-field flagging for data reliability checks.

Strengths

• Provides daily global coverage with 240 granules, each covering a 6-minute observation window.
• Includes per-field quality flagging for individual data points, enhancing reliability assessment.
• Derives profiles from a coupled infrared-microwave algorithm (CLIMCAPS) using MERRA-2 reanalysis as a prior.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and specific column names are not provided across all sources.
• Data latency is 3 to 7 weeks due to dependency on MERRA-2 reanalysis inputs.
• License is specified as 'other-license-specified' without detailed terms.

Provenance

Source

GES_DISC

Collection Method

Derived from AIRS instrument data on the EOS Aqua satellite using the CLIMCAPS V2.1 algorithm.

Freshness

2026-04-09 20:31:34.107781

Geography

Global, from polar-orbiting satellite with a 16-day orbit repeat cycle.