TROPICS07: Unified Resolution Brightness Temperatures

Provisional Level 2A data from the TROPICS07 satellite provides geolocated brightness temperatures, with water vapor channels converted to a unified resolution using the Backus-Gilbert technique. Each granule contains an orbit's worth of data, with approximately 2880 scans and 81 spots. This dataset supports high-temporal-resolution science investigations of tropical cyclones by providing nearly all-weather observations of temperature, humidity, cloud ice, and precipitation structure.

Use Cases

• Retrieving Atmospheric Vertical Temperature Profiles (AVTP) based on unified resolution brightness temperature data.
• Analyzing tropical cyclone intensity and structure based on high-temporal-resolution, all-weather microwave observations.
• Studying water vapor profiles based on channels near the 183-GHz absorption line.
• Investigating cloud ice particle distribution based on a channel near 205 GHz.
• Measuring precipitation horizontal structure based on imagery channels near 90 GHz combined with water vapor data.

Strengths

• Data is from a dedicated constellation of five identical small satellites designed for high-temporal-resolution observations.
• Each data granule contains a structured orbit's worth of data with approximately 2880 scans and 81 spots.
• The dataset employs a specific processing technique (Backus-Gilbert) to unify channel resolution for noise reduction while maintaining spatial resolution.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are unknown across all sources, limiting detailed understanding of the file contents.
• Dataset size (rows, file size) is not provided on any platform.
• The license is inconsistently reported as 'other-license-specified' or 'None', creating ambiguity.

Provenance

Source

NASA TROPICS mission, specifically the TROPICS07 satellite.

Collection Method

Data collected by the TROPICS Millimeter-wave Sounder (TMS) passive microwave spectrometer payload and processed to Level 2A.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:33:22.424028

Geography

Global, with focus on tropical regions where cyclones occur.