SNDRSNIML3SMCCP: Monthly Atmospheric Profiles from Suomi NPP Satellite

Suomi NPP satellite data processed by the CLIMCAPS algorithm provides monthly, one-degree gridded profiles of the full atmospheric state. The dataset includes surface temperature, emissivity, and vertical profiles of temperature, water vapor, ozone, and multiple trace gases like carbon monoxide, methane, and sulfur dioxide. It is derived from the CrIS/ATMS instrument suite using 2211 infrared channels and 22 microwave channels.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global carbon monoxide transport based on retrieved column density values ('mol_lay/co_mol_lay')
• Analyzing cloud top characteristics and vertical distribution based on infrared effective cloud data
• Studying surface radiative properties based on land surface emissivity and skin temperature
• Assessing upper-air temperature and water vapor profiles for weather and climate studies
• Tracking greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide for atmospheric chemistry research

Strengths

• Derived from high-resolution satellite instruments: CrIS has 2211 spectral channels and ATMS has 22 channels
• Provides a full atmospheric state characterization, including profiles of multiple trace gases and cloud properties
• Algorithm uses Optimal Estimation methodology, a recognized approach for atmospheric retrieval

Limitations

• Contains a significant, documented bias in the 'co_mmr_midtrop' variable due to a molecular weight conversion error
• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided in the available metadata
• License is specified as 'other-license-specified' but details are not provided

Provenance

Source

GES_DISC

Collection Method

Data from the Suomi NPP satellite's CrIS/ATMS instruments processed by the CLIMCAPS algorithm.

Freshness

2026-04-09 20:29:43.857201

Geography

Global, one-degree latitude/longitude grid