CLIMCAPS: Cloud Cleared Radiances from Suomi NPP Satellite

CLIMCAPS algorithm produces Level 2 cloud-cleared radiances from the CrIS/ATMS instruments on the Suomi NPP satellite. The dataset includes 1305 infrared channels and 22 microwave channels, processed into granules of 6-minute intervals covering 30 footprints cross-track by 45 lines along-track. It uses MERRA-2 reanalysis as a first-guess, resulting in a latency of 3 to 7 weeks.

Use Cases

• Analyzing cloud-free atmospheric radiances for climate modeling based on the cloud-clearing process.
• Retrieving atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles using the combined infrared and microwave spectral channels.
• Studying satellite instrument performance and calibration using the Normal Spectral Resolution (NSR) data.
• Assessing the impact of cloud contamination on remote sensing measurements across the 3x3 CrIS field-of-view array.

Strengths

• Combines high-resolution infrared (1305 channels) and microwave (22 channels) spectral data from a major satellite platform.
• Provides cloud-cleared radiances, a processed product useful for atmospheric state retrieval under cloudy conditions.
• Offers a structured temporal granularity with 240 granules per day and a 16-day orbit repeat cycle.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and specific column names are unknown across all sources.
• Product latency of 3 to 7 weeks due to dependency on MERRA-2 reanalysis data.
• Platform metadata shows conflicts: license is listed as 'other-license-specified' on some sources but 'None' on others.

Provenance

Source

GES_DISC (NASA)

Collection Method

Algorithmic processing (CLIMCAPS) of satellite instrument data (CrIS/ATMS on Suomi NPP).

Freshness

2026-04-09 20:30:15.963457

Geography

Global coverage from polar-orbiting satellite.