SNPPCrISL1B: Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Radiance

Global infrared radiance measurements are provided by the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite. The Level 1B Full Spectral Resolution (FSR) dataset contains calibrated radiances across 2,223 spectral channels, organized into 30 cross-track by 45 along-track fields-of-regard, each with 9 field-of-views. Data products are constructed on six-minute boundaries and are designed for use with microwave sounder data for atmospheric profiling.

Use Cases

• Retrieving atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles based on high-spectral-resolution infrared radiance measurements.
• Assimilating radiance observations into numerical weather prediction models to improve forecast accuracy.
• Monitoring trace gases and atmospheric composition using the dataset's 2,223 distinct spectral channels.
• Calibrating and validating other satellite instruments by comparing radiance measurements across the infrared spectrum.
• Studying cloud properties and surface characteristics using the instrument's 9 field-of-views per observation granule.

Strengths

• Provides high spectral resolution data with 2,223 channels across shortwave, midwave, and longwave infrared bands.
• Offers a detailed spatial sampling pattern with 1,350 fields-of-regard (30 x 45) per six-minute granule.
• Is part of a multi-platform dataset, indicating established use and validation within the scientific community.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided on any platform.
• Data availability and resolution changed on November 2, 2015, creating a temporal inconsistency in the record.
• License details are listed as 'other-license-specified' without further clarification.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instrument on the Suomi NPP satellite.

Time Range

From at least 2014 (post-launch) to present, with a major data format change on November 2, 2015.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:56:55.040429

Geography

Global