TRPSDL2NH3CRSWCFHI: Ammonia Vertical Profiles from U.S. West Coast Wildfires

TROPESS CrIS-SNPP L2 Ammonia for West Coast Fires provides vertical distribution data for atmospheric ammonia (NH3) measured by the CrIS instrument on the Suomi-NPP satellite. This standard product focuses on the CONUS region from August to October 2020, capturing emissions during the outbreak of major U.S. West Coast wildfires. Data are reported at 15 vertical levels from the surface to 0.1 hPa with a spatial resolution of 14 km, generated using the MUSES optimal estimation algorithm.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical transport of ammonia from wildfire plumes based on the 15-level vertical profile data.
• Quantifying wildfire emissions of reactive nitrogen compounds for atmospheric chemistry models using the retrieved NH3 state.
• Studying the spatial and temporal evolution of ammonia concentrations during a major fire season across the CONUS region.
• Assessing satellite-derived ammonia data quality and uncertainty using the included formal uncertainties and diagnostic information.

Strengths

• Provides data at a specific 14 km spatial resolution at nadir, offering regional-scale detail.
• Covers a defined three-month period (2020-08-01 to 2020-10-31) during a significant wildfire event.
• Contains vertical profile information across 15 atmospheric levels, from the surface to 0.1 hPa.
• Generated by a NASA project (TROPESS) using a documented optimal estimation algorithm (MUSES).

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low; specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided in the sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2026-04-09 and 2020-10-26), creating uncertainty about provenance maintenance.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a single season (3 months in 2020), restricting long-term trend analysis.

Provenance

Source

NASA TROPESS project, GES DISC, Principal Investigator Kevin W. Bowman.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the CrIS instrument on Suomi-NPP, processed with the MUSES optimal estimation algorithm.

Time Range

2020-08-01 to 2020-10-31

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:22:41.818101

Geography

CONUS region (20N-60N; 150W-40W)