TIROS-N/NOAA AVHRR: Historical Satellite Imagery for Sea and Cloud Temperatures, 1978-1987

TIROS-N and NOAA-6 through NOAA-9 satellites collected this Level 1b data, providing calibrated raw radiation measurements in visible, near-infrared, and infrared spectral bands. The archive contains 730, 539, 289, 12, and 135 passes for the respective satellites, covering specific periods between 1978 and 1987. Data was collected via HRPT and LAC transmission modes, with primary geographic coverage over the western North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Alaska, and later the west coast of North America.

Use Cases

• Calculate sea surface temperature trends based on infrared spectral radiation bands.
• Analyze cloud cover and cloud top properties based on visible and near-infrared spectral data.
• Study historical climate patterns in specific ocean basins based on the described geographic coverage.
• Calibrate or validate modern satellite-derived temperature products against this historical baseline data.

Strengths

• Provides sensor calibration and earth location information appended to the raw radiation data.
• Covers a defined time period from 1978 to 1987 with specific pass counts for five different satellites.
• Includes data from two full-resolution collection modes: HRPT (real-time) and LAC (recorded).

Limitations

• Last updated 1987-12-06; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific receiving station coverage areas described.

Provenance

Source

University of Miami archive of data originating from NESDIS/SDSD in Suitland, Maryland.

Collection Method

Satellite data collected via HRPT and LAC transmission modes from the TIROS-N/NOAA series.

Time Range

1978-11 03 to 1987-12-06, with specific ranges for each satellite (TirosN, NOAA-6, NOAA-7, NOAA-8, NOAA-9).

Freshness

1987-12-06 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Western North Atlantic (west from ~50W, north of 18N), Gulf of Mexico (north of 18N), Gulf of Alaska, and later the west coast of North America.