TL2RHLN_7: TES/Aura Satellite Atmospheric Temperature Profiles

Data from the TES instrument on NASA's Aura satellite provides vertical profile estimates of atmospheric temperature and associated errors. Each global survey consists of observations from up to 16 consecutive orbits, with a reported 3,200 retrievals performed per two-day cycle. The dataset includes retrieval vectors, covariances, averaging kernels, and geolocation data for atmospheric analysis.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature profiles and their precision from the retrieval vectors and error estimates.
• Studying atmospheric state changes over time using the time-series of global survey observations.
• Validating radiative transfer models using the Level 2 modeled spectra and retrieval comparison process.
• Mapping geolocated atmospheric parameters from the provided observation target data.

Strengths

• Provides vertical profile estimates with associated errors, mapping matrices, and averaging kernels for rigorous error analysis.
• Based on a defined observational structure: up to 16 consecutive orbits per global survey with 3,200 retrievals per cycle.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its importance and official provenance.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: column names, row counts, and exact file sizes are not provided in any source.
• Conflicting last-updated dates exist: one source lists 2026-04-09, another lists 2015-12-31, creating uncertainty about data freshness.
• Documentation gaps exist regarding the specific 'other-license-specified' terms and the exact data formats beyond generic types.

Provenance

Source

Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on NASA's Aura satellite, processed by LARC_CLOUD.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via limb and nadir observations, with retrievals from radiative transfer model comparisons.

Time Range

Observations include a change in scan protocol on April 24, 2005, but specific start/end dates are not provided.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:43:10.349673 (conflict with 2015-12-31 date noted in limitations)

Geography

Global coverage from satellite orbits.