TOMSN7L3zaer: Daily Zonal UV Aerosol Index from Nimbus-7

Nimbus-7 satellite data provides daily and monthly zonal mean UV aerosol index values, averaged in 5-degree latitude bands globally. The dataset, produced by NASA's Laboratory for Atmospheres, is stored in ASCII format and tracks atmospheric aerosols. Its cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov indicates established use in atmospheric research.

Use Cases

• Tracking long-term aerosol trends based on daily and monthly zonal mean values.
• Analyzing latitudinal distribution of atmospheric particulates based on 5-degree band averages.
• Validating climate and atmospheric models using satellite-derived UV aerosol index data.
• Studying aerosol events (e.g., volcanic eruptions, dust storms) using time-series data.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Code 614).
• Provides spatially aggregated data in consistent 5-degree latitude zonal means.
• Cross-platform availability on NASA and U.S. government portals signals reliability and importance.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are unspecified across all sources, limiting precise technical understanding.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (1993 and 2026) create ambiguity about metadata or data freshness.
• Documentation gaps exist, as detailed data format and structure descriptions are not provided.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite measurements from the Nimbus-7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:31:36.695091 (from nasa_earthdata and datagov, conflicting with another 1993 date)

Geography

Global, aggregated into 5-degree latitude bands.