TRPSYL2HDOAIRSFS: Global Deuterated Water Vapor Profiles

TROPESS AIRS-Aqua L2 Deuterated Water Vapor for Forward Stream provides the vertical distribution of semi-heavy water (HDO) retrieved from the AIRS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite. The dataset contains daily global measurements from February 2021 onward, reported at 17 vertical levels with a spatial resolution of 13.5 km. It is generated using the MUSES optimal estimation algorithm under the TROPESS project led by Kevin W. Bowman.

Use Cases

• Analyzing deuterium isotope ratios in the global water cycle based on retrieved HDO profiles.
• Studying atmospheric transport and moisture sources using vertical distribution data across 17 levels.
• Validating climate and hydrological models with satellite-derived deuterated water vapor measurements.
• Monitoring temporal changes in atmospheric composition from February 2021 onward.

Strengths

• Provides vertical profiles at 17 specific levels from the surface to 0.1 hPa.
• Offers a consistent global time series starting on a specific date: 2021-02-01.
• Utilizes a sophisticated retrieval algorithm (MUSES) for optimal estimation.
• Has a defined spatial resolution of 13.5 km at the AIRS nadir field of view.

Limitations

• Column names and dataset size (rows, file size) are not documented on any platform.
• The license is inconsistently reported as 'other-license-specified' or 'None' across sources.
• Data is stored in daily files, which may require aggregation for long-term trend analysis.

Provenance

Source

NASA TROPESS project, GES DISC, AIRS instrument on EOS Aqua satellite.

Collection Method

Retrieved via optimal estimation algorithm (MUSES) from satellite remote sensing.

Time Range

From 2021-02-01 to present.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:38:55.197860

Geography

Global.