TOVSBDNG: Daily Atmospheric Grids from NOAA-10 Satellite

TOVS LMD DAILY GRIDS from NOAA-10 V01 provides Level 3 atmospheric parameters derived from HIRS/2 and MSU radiances using the Improved Initialization Inversion (3I) retrieval scheme. The dataset contains daily averages mapped onto a 1x1 degree global grid, produced as part of the NASA TOVS Pathfinder Path-B project. It includes parameters such as water vapor profiles, skin temperature, and upper-air temperature.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global water vapor distribution based on retrieved water vapor profiles.
• Studying long-term surface temperature trends using skin temperature data.
• Validating climate model outputs against historical upper-air temperature observations.
• Examining daily atmospheric state variability on a global 1x1 degree grid.

Strengths

• Data is processed using a specific, documented retrieval scheme (Improved Initialization Inversion - 3I) by a known laboratory.
• Cross-platform presence on datagov and nasa_earthdata signals its importance and curation for long-term access.
• Spatial resolution is explicitly defined as a 1x1 degree global grid.

Limitations

• A critical conflict exists: the last updated date is listed as 2026-04-09 on datagov but 1991-09-01 on nasa_earthdata, casting doubt on data provenance and maintenance.
• Column names and data file structure are unknown across all sources, hindering immediate usability.
• The dataset contains data from only a single satellite (NOAA-10), limiting temporal and instrumental coverage.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) TOVS Pathfinder project, processed by Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (Ecole Polytechnique).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from NOAA-10's HIRS/2 and MSU instruments, processed with the 3I classification retrieval scheme.

Freshness

1991-09-01 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Global coverage on a 1x1 degree latitude-longitude grid.