TOVSADNH: Global Atmospheric Profiles from NOAA-11 Satellite

TOVSADNH contains Level 3 geophysical parameters derived from the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) aboard the NOAA-11 satellite using the Path A physical retrieval method. The dataset provides global, 3-dimensional fields of atmospheric temperature and moisture structure, along with derived quantities like surface temperature, cloud properties, and ozone. It is produced through a 6-hour forecast-retrieval-analysis cycle that assimilates satellite data with in-situ measurements.

Use Cases

• Validating and improving General Circulation Models (GCMs) based on assimilated global temperature and humidity fields.
• Analyzing trends in outgoing longwave radiation and cloud fraction for climate change studies.
• Studying the vertical structure of the atmosphere using derived temperature and moisture profiles.
• Estimating total ozone overburden and precipitation on a global scale.
• Assimilating historical satellite sounder data with modern reanalysis products.

Strengths

• Derived from a well-documented physical retrieval method (Susskind et al., 1984) designated as the Path A scheme.
• Provides a synthesized global view by assimilating satellite retrievals with in-situ radiosonde and ship reports.
• Contains multiple derived geophysical parameters from a single source, including profiles, surface properties, and cloud data.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are unknown across all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (1994 and 2026) create uncertainty about the dataset's maintenance and freshness.
• The retrieval method is dependent on a specific hydrodynamic model and a priori data, which may limit direct comparability with other products.

Provenance

Source

Satellite Data Utilization Office, Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres, NASA/GSFC

Collection Method

Physical retrieval from HIRS2 and MSU instruments on NOAA-11, processed through a forecast-retrieval-analysis cycle with Optimal Interpolation (OI) assimilation.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:42:31.171249

Geography

Global