SNDRSNIML2CCPRET: Atmospheric State Profiles from Suomi NPP Satellite

Global atmospheric profiles are derived from the Suomi NPP satellite's CrIS/ATMS instruments using the CLIMCAPS algorithm. The dataset includes full-atmosphere profiles of temperature, water vapor, ozone, and trace gases like carbon monoxide and methane, alongside surface and cloud properties. Data is provided as Level 2 granules, each representing a 6-minute observation window.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global tropospheric carbon monoxide levels using retrieved column density values ('mol_lay/co_mol_lay').
• Analyzing vertical profiles of temperature and water vapor for weather and climate model validation.
• Studying cloud top characteristics and cloud fraction for radiative forcing and climate feedback research.
• Tracking methane and other trace gas concentrations to support air quality and greenhouse gas emission studies.
• Retrieving sea surface skin temperature and land surface emissivity for surface-atmosphere interaction analysis.

Strengths

• Derived from high-resolution satellite instruments, with the CrIS spectrometer providing 2211 Full Spectral Resolution infrared channels.
• Covers a wide range of geophysical parameters, including profiles of multiple greenhouse gases and cloud properties.
• Algorithm uses an Optimal Estimation methodology, which is a standard, physically-based retrieval approach.

Limitations

• A known significant bias exists in the 'co_mmr_midtrop' variable due to a molecular weight conversion error, requiring user correction.
• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and specific file size are not provided across any source.
• The 'last updated' date (2026-04-09) from one source appears to be a future date, indicating potential metadata freshness or accuracy issues.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Sounder SIPS at JPL

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the Suomi NPP platform's CrIS/ATMS instruments, processed with the CLIMCAPS algorithm.

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:55:18.624132 (Note: This is a future date, which may indicate a metadata error)

Geography

Global