TES/Aura L2 Ozone Nadir: Satellite Atmospheric Profiles

Global satellite observations from NASA's Aura spacecraft, launched July 15, 2004. The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer Level 2 Nadir product contains retrieved ozone profiles, temperature profiles, and associated error estimates for nadir observations. Data collection is complete, with global surveys consisting of up to 16 consecutive orbits.

Use Cases

• Modeling global ozone distribution based on retrieved species profiles.
• Analyzing atmospheric temperature profiles and surface temperature data.
• Assessing air quality and atmospheric composition using volume mixing ratios.
• Studying changes in observation methodology after April 24, 2005, when scan patterns changed.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete, providing a finalized record.
• Each global survey performed 4,608 retrievals, indicating high data density.
• Product includes estimated errors, surface characteristics, and diagnostic quantities for each retrieval.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer instrument.

Time Range

From launch (July 15, 2004) through completion of data collection.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 19:47:39.814097; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, from nadir observations pointing directly at Earth's surface.