TROPESS CrIS-JPSS1: Global Methane Vertical Profiles from NOAA-20

NASA's TROPESS CrIS-JPSS1 L2 Methane Standard Product provides the vertical distribution of atmospheric methane (CH4) from the surface to 0.1 hPa. Data are derived from the CrIS instrument on the NOAA-20 satellite using the MUSES optimal estimation algorithm. Each daily netCDF file contains retrieved methane state, formal uncertainties, and diagnostics at a 14 km spatial resolution across 26 vertical levels.

Use Cases

• Tracking global methane concentration trends and anomalies based on daily, vertically resolved retrievals.
• Validating atmospheric chemistry and transport models using the 26-level vertical profile data.
• Investigating regional methane emission hotspots utilizing the 14 km nadir spatial resolution.
• Assessing retrieval algorithm performance by analyzing the included formal uncertainties and diagnostic information.

Strengths

• Provides vertical profile data across 26 levels from the surface to 0.1 hPa, offering detailed atmospheric structure.
• Has a consistent global daily record from April 1, —2021, to the present.
• Data are processed using the established MUSES optimal estimation algorithm from the NASA TROPESS project.

Limitations

• Column names and a precise row count are not provided in the available metadata, limiting immediate understanding of the data structure.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on some platforms and 'None' on others, requiring further investigation for use.
• Metadata completeness varies across platforms, with some lacking tags, size, and author information.

Provenance

Source

NASA TROPESS project, Principal Investigator Kevin W. Bowman, data from the CrIS instrument on the JPSS-1 (NOAA-20) satellite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data processed with the MUlti-SpEctra, MUlti-SpEcies, Multi-SEnsors (MUSES) optimal estimation algorithm.

Time Range

2021-04-01 to present

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to two platform entries.

Geography

Global