TEMPO Satellite Solar Irradiance and Formaldehyde Data

TEMPO Level 1 reference irradiance files provide solar irradiance measurements for all North-South cross-track pixels, calibrated for UV and visible bands. Level 2 files deliver formaldehyde trace gas information at a native spatial resolution of approximately 10 km². These provisional datasets from NASA are produced using a multi-step processor and retrieval approach, reaching provisional validation on December 9, 2024.

Use Cases

• Analyzing calibrated solar irradiance across UV and visible bands using the parameterized wavelength grid and solar viewing geometry.
• Mapping formaldehyde vertical columns and air mass factors to study regional air pollution and volatile organic compounds.
• Assessing data quality and retrieval uncertainty using the provided noise estimates and quality flags.
• Conducting time-series analysis of trace gas concentrations at a spatial resolution of ~10 km².

Strengths

• Data is radiometrically and wavelength calibrated, with a defined provisional validation date of December 9, 2024.
• Formaldehyde retrievals provide trace gas information at a specific native spatial resolution of approximately 10 km².

Limitations

• Key technical details like row counts, file sizes, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov, with no clarification on NASA Earthdata.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Measured using the reference solar diffuser and processed through the L0-1b processor for irradiance; a three-step spectral fitting and retrieval approach for formaldehyde.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 22:07:45.519744

Geography

Covers the TEMPO Field of Regard (FOR), spanning North-South cross-track pixels and portions of the East-West FOR.