TES/Aura L2 IRK Nadir: Ozone Radiative Kernels from Satellite

Data collection for the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument aboard NASA's Aura satellite is complete, with observations from its launch on July 15, 2004. The dataset contains retrieved atmospheric temperature and ozone profiles, top-of-atmosphere flux, and computed instantaneous radiative kernels (IRK) for ozone, which account for dominant radiative processes like clouds and water vapor. These Level 2 products are designed for direct comparison with climate model predictions of radiative forcing.

Use Cases

• Validating climate model predictions of ozone radiative forcing by comparing to the computed instantaneous radiative kernels (IRK).
• Studying the radiative role of ozone in the atmosphere using profiles that account for clouds and water vapor.
• Analyzing global survey patterns of atmospheric temperature and species from up to 16 consecutive satellite orbits.
• Assessing changes in nadir observation methodology before and after the April 24, 2005, switch from two to three low-resolution scans.

Strengths

• Data originates from a NASA satellite instrument (TES/Aura), providing authoritative atmospheric measurements.
• Products include unique computed radiative kernels (IRK, LIRK) that directly measure ozone's radiative role.
• The dataset's methodology explicitly accounts for dominant radiative processes like clouds and water vapor.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• There is a conflict in reported 'last updated' dates, with one source showing 2026 (a future date) and another 2018.
• Documentation appears incomplete, as the description is truncated in multiple sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) aboard the Aura spacecraft, using radiative transfer modeling and retrieval algorithms.

Time Range

2004-07-15 (launch) to completion of TES data collection. Specific end date not provided.

Freshness

2026-04-09 20:25:14.874878 (Note: This is a future date, conflicting with a 2018 date from another source.)

Geography

Global, from satellite orbits.