SNPP CrIMSS CLIMCAPS: Daily Global Atmospheric Profiles and Trace Gas Data

Global daily one-degree gridded data from the Suomi NPP satellite's CrIS/ATMS instruments, processed by the CLIMCAPS algorithm. The dataset provides full atmospheric state profiles, including temperature, water vapor, ozone, and trace gases like carbon monoxide, methane, and sulfur dioxide. It also includes surface properties and cloud characteristics derived from 2211 infrared and 22 microwave channels.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global atmospheric carbon monoxide transport based on retrieved column density profiles.
• Analyzing vertical temperature and water vapor profiles for weather and climate model validation.
• Studying cloud top properties and their radiative impact using infrared effective cloud characteristics.
• Tracking sources and sinks of trace gases like methane and sulfur dioxide from satellite observations.
• Assimilating surface temperature and emissivity data into land surface or energy balance models.

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 trace gases and cloud properties.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA and U.S. government portals indicates established use and importance.

Limitations

• Contains a documented significant bias in the 'co_mmr_midtrop' variable due to an incorrect molecular weight conversion.
• Key metadata such as row count, specific column names, and temporal coverage are not provided in the available sources.
• One source lists a 'last updated' date in the future (2026-04-09), indicating potential metadata inconsistency.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Sounder SIPS

Collection Method

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

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:54:07.269715 (Note: This is a future date, suggesting a metadata anomaly)

Geography

Global