THIRN5L1CH67: Nimbus-5 Satellite Infrared Radiance Data

Global satellite data from the Nimbus-5 Temperature-Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR) 6.7-micron channel, collected from December 19, 1972, through August 26, 1974. The dataset contains radiances expressed as equivalent brightness temperature, providing information on upper tropospheric and stratospheric moisture, jet streams, and frontal systems. Data are archived in their original IBM 36-bit proprietary binary format recovered from magnetic tapes.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical upper-tropospheric moisture content based on 6.7-micron channel radiances.
• Tracking the location and movement of jet streams and frontal systems from satellite-derived brightness temperature.
• Studying the continuity of atmospheric measurements by comparing data with the predecessor Nimbus-4 THIR instrument.

Strengths

• Provides a specific historical time range from December 19, 1972, to August 26, 1974.
• Cross-platform presence on datagov and nasa_earthdata signals established importance and preservation.
• Dataset includes authoritative provenance details, including Principal Investigator Andrew W. McCulloch from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Limitations

• Column names and row counts are unknown across all sources, limiting immediate usability.
• Data are archived in an obsolete IBM 36-bit proprietary binary format, requiring specialized tools for access.
• Conflicting metadata: 'last updated' dates conflict between 1975-06-29 (nasa_earthdata) and 2026-04-09 (datagov).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center.

Collection Method

Data recovered from original Nimbus Meteorological Radiation Tapes (NMRT-THIR) written on IBM 360 machines.

Time Range

December 19, 1972 to August 26, 1974

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:32:53.998943

Geography

Global coverage from the Nimbus-5 satellite orbit.