SNPPCrISL1BNSR: Infrared Radiance Soundings from Suomi NPP Satellite

From December 2014 onward, this dataset provides Level 1B radiance measurements from the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite. Each six-minute data granule contains 1,317 spectral channels across shortwave, midwave, and longwave infrared bands, organized into a grid of 30 by 45 fields-of-regard. The data are designed for use with the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) to support atmospheric profiling and weather forecasting.

Use Cases

• Atmospheric temperature and humidity profiling based on infrared radiance spectra.
• Weather model data assimilation based on calibrated, geolocated radiance measurements.
• Satellite instrument cross-validation based on the defined spectral channels and field-of-view geometry.
• Climate trend analysis based on time-series data from a polar-orbiting satellite.

Strengths

• Provides high spectral resolution data with 1,317 explicitly defined infrared channels.
• Offers consistent spatial sampling with 1,350 fields-of-regard (30 x 45) per granule.
• Cross-platform availability on NASA data portals indicates established curation and access.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided in the sources.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without further detail.
• Data availability and resolution changed on November 2, 2015, creating a version discontinuity.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the CrIS instrument on the Suomi NPP spacecraft.

Time Range

From December 2014 onward.

Freshness

Last updated metadata indicates 2026-04-09.

Geography

Global coverage from a polar-orbiting satellite.