SNDRSNIML2PLEVCPS: Atmospheric State Profiles from CrIS/ATMS Satellite Sounding

240 granules per day provide atmospheric profiles at fixed pressure levels, derived from the CLIMCAPS algorithm using full spectral resolution data from the Suomi NPP satellite's CrIS/ATMS instruments. The dataset includes gas mixing ratio profiles, column totals, surface values, tropopause properties, and relative humidity, with per-field quality flagging. Profiles are estimated from layer amounts and use MERRA-2 reanalysis as a first-guess, resulting in a data latency of 3 to 7 weeks.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of atmospheric gases based on gas mixing ratio profiles.
• Studying tropopause dynamics and properties using the included tropopause data.
• Monitoring global humidity patterns via the relative humidity and specific humidity indicators.
• Validating atmospheric models using the surface and upper-air temperature estimates.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution global coverage with 240 six-minute granules generated daily.
• Includes per-field quality flagging for individual data variables.
• Derived from a coupled infrared and microwave sounding system (CrIS/ATMS), which likely improves retrieval accuracy.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided across all sources.
• Data has a significant latency of 3 to 7 weeks due to dependency on MERRA-2 reanalysis inputs.
• One source lists a license ('other-license-specified') while another lists none, creating ambiguity.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the Suomi NPP satellite's CrIS/ATMS instruments, processed with the CLIMCAPS V2.1 algorithm.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to datagov platform entries.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite orbits.