TOMS Earth Probe: Daily Global UV Aerosol Index Grid

180 x 288 grid cells provide daily global UV aerosol index values at a 1.00 x 1.25 degree latitude/longitude resolution. The Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) Version 8 data were produced by NASA's Laboratory for Atmospheres. This dataset is stored in an ASCII format and is available on multiple platforms.

Use Cases

• Tracking long-range transport of dust and smoke plumes based on daily global UV aerosol index values.
• Validating atmospheric chemistry and aerosol transport models using the 1.00 x 1.25 degree gridded data.
• Analyzing seasonal and interannual variability of atmospheric aerosols from the time-series data.
• Studying the radiative forcing effects of aerosols using the mapped global aerosol index product.

Strengths

• Provides a consistent global spatial grid of 180 x 288 cells for uniform analysis.
• Data originates from the authoritative NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Code 614).
• Available on multiple platforms, indicating established use and accessibility.

Limitations

• Conflicting last-updated dates (2005-12-31 vs. 2026-04-09) create uncertainty about data currency.
• Specific column names and data formats beyond ASCII are not detailed in the provided metadata.
• The dataset's temporal coverage (start and end dates) is not specified.

Provenance

Source

Laboratory for Atmospheres at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Code 614).

Collection Method

Satellite observations from the Earth Probe (EP) Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:44:45.262573 (from datagov, conflicting with nasa_earthdata date)

Geography

Global, gridded to 1.00 x 1.25 degree latitude/longitude resolution.