TOMSN7L3maer: Monthly UV Aerosol Index on a Global Grid

180 rows by 288 columns of monthly averaged UV aerosol index values are mapped to a global grid with a 1.00 x 1.25 degree latitude-longitude resolution. This Nimbus-7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) version 8 data product was produced by NASA's Laboratory for Atmospheres. The data are stored in ASCII format and represent a foundational record for studying atmospheric aerosols.

Use Cases

• Tracking long-term aerosol transport patterns based on the global gridded UV aerosol index.
• Validating atmospheric chemistry and climate models using the monthly averaged data product.
• Studying seasonal and interannual variability of atmospheric aerosols from the satellite-derived time series.
• Providing a historical baseline for aerosol optical depth studies using the Nimbus-7 TOMS instrument record.

Strengths

• Provides a consistent, gridded global product with a defined spatial resolution of 1.00 x 1.25 degrees.
• Originates from an authoritative source, NASA's Laboratory for Atmospheres at Goddard Space Flight Center.
• Represents a long-term satellite record from the Nimbus-7 mission, important for historical analysis.

Limitations

• Metadata conflicts exist: the 'last updated' date differs significantly between sources (1993 vs. 2026), creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Column names and specific data structure within the ASCII files are not documented in the provided metadata.
• The dataset's temporal coverage (start and end dates) is not explicitly stated.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the Nimbus-7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), processed to version 8.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:31:27.820572

Geography

Global.