Suomi NPP VIIRS Water Vapor Swath Data at 750m Resolution

VIIRS/SNPP Level-2 Water Vapor Products provide total column water vapor properties from merged satellite infrared measurements and soundings. This dataset offers high-resolution global moisture depictions at 750-meter spatial resolution within 6-minute granules, continuing the legacy of MODIS observations. The data is produced by the LAADS organization using the VNPWATVP algorithm, which synthesizes VIIRS and NUCAPS (CrIS+ATMS) retrievals.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global total precipitable water distribution using the VIIRS+NUCAPS TPW retrieval column.
• Comparing synthetic regression algorithm performance between VIIRS and legacy MODIS data via quality flags.
• Studying atmospheric moisture profiles by examining collocated NUCAPS background TPW data.
• Investigating regional humidity indicators and water vapor trends over time.
• Validating numerical weather prediction models with spatially detailed, satellite-derived water vapor measurements.

Strengths

• Provides high spatial resolution water vapor data at 750 meters.
• Uses a merged retrieval method combining VIIRS window bands and NUCAPS soundings to compensate for sensor limitations.
• Continues a long-term global moisture observation record started by MODIS on Terra and Aqua.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column list are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on license details, with one specifying 'other-license-specified' and another listing 'None'.
• The author and precise temporal coverage of the data are unknown.

Provenance

Source

LAADS

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Suomi NPP spacecraft's VIIRS, CrIS, and ATMS sensors, processed with the VNPWATVP algorithm.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-03-12 20:09:40.416383

Geography

Global