SNDRAQIML1CCALSUBRND: Aqua AIRS Level-1C Calibration Subset

Global observations from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite provide a curated daily subset for instrument calibration. This dataset includes selected clear cases, special calibration sites, random nadir spots, and high clouds, extracted from over 500 MB of daily Level-1B/C spectral data. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the evaluation of instrument performance, calibration stability, and climate-relevant trends.

Use Cases

• Evaluating absolute instrument calibration based on selected clear-sky and calibration site observations.
• Assessing instrument performance trends under extreme hot, cold, clear, and cloudy conditions.
• Comparing AIRS spectral data with the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) using equivalent calibration subsets.
• Monitoring long-term calibration stability to distinguish instrument drift from potential climate signals.

Strengths

• Data is derived from the AIRS instrument, which provides high spectral resolution with 2378 infrared channels.
• Subsetting reduces the daily data volume from over 500 MB to a more manageable size for focused calibration analysis.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its importance as a reference dataset.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are not provided in any source description.
• Metadata for size, row count, and author is consistently missing or listed as 'unknown' across all platforms.
• The stated 'last updated' date of 2026-04-09 is a future date, indicating a metadata error or placeholder.

Provenance

Source

NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC)

Collection Method

Observations from the AIRS grating spectrometer aboard the EOS Aqua satellite, processed to Level-1B/C and subsetted.

Time Range

Daily files from a nominal 24-hour period; full temporal range not specified.

Freshness

2026-04-09 20:31:24.184872 (Note: This is a future date, likely a metadata error)

Geography

Global, from the polar-orbiting Aqua satellite.