The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is a facility instrument aboard the second Earth Observing System (EOS) polar-orbiting platform, EOS Aqua. In combination with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB), AIRS constitutes an innovative atmospheric sounding group of visible, infrared, and microwave sensors. Global coverage will be obtained twice daily (day and night) on a 1:30pm sun synchronous orbit from a 705-km altitude. For processing convenience, the data is divided into 6-minute files for Level 1 and 2 data.
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The Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) is generating a series of land surface state (e.g., soil moisture and surface temperature) and flux (e.g., evaporation and sensible heat flux) products simulated by four land surface models (CLM, Mosaic, Noah and VIC). Current data holdings include a set of 1.0 degree resolution data products from the four models, covering 1979 to the present; and a 0.25 degree data product from the Noah model, covering 2000 to the present.
The High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) aboard the EOS Aura spacecraft (launched July 15, 2004) measures infrared emissions in 21 channels ranging from 6.12 to 17.76 microns. These measurements are used to derive vertical profiles of Ozone, HNO3, Water Vapor, Methane, N2O, NO2, N2O5, CFC11, CFC12, aerosols, and atmospheric temperature, as well as the locations of polar stratospheric clouds and cloud tops. At this time, only Ozone (O3) , Nitric acid (HNO3), CFC-11, CFC-12, Aerosol Extinction (12.1 micron), Temperature, and Cloud Top Pressure are available
The Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) instrument measured vertical profiles of temperature, geopotential height, and mixing ratios of ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), water vapor (H2O), and nitric acid (HNO3). The LIMS instrument was launched on the Nimbus-7 satellite and was operational for about seven months from 25 October 1978 until May 28, 1979.
The Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) products are generated using Version 5.2.0 of the GEOS-5 DAS with the model and analysis each at 1/2x2/3 degrees resolution. Three-dimensional analyses are generated every 6 hours, and 3- dimensional diagnostics, describing the radiative and physical properties of the atmosphere, are 3-hourly. The product suite includes analyses on the native vertical grid as well on pressure surfaces. Two-dimensional data, including surface, fluxes, and vertical integrals, are produced hourly. The product suite includes monthly and monthly diurnal files. The MERRA production is being conducted in 3 separate streams, 1979 - 1989; 1989 - 1998; 1998 - present. Data are being uploaded to the MDISC after undergoing quality assurance in the GMAO.
The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) aboard the EOS-Aura spacecraft (launched July 15, 2004)measures microwave emissions from the Earth's limb at 118, 190, 240 and 640 GHz, and 2.5 THz. These measurements allow MLS to derive vertical profiles of ozone, water vapor, OH, HO2, CO, HCN, N2O, HNO3, HCl, HOCl, CLO, BrO, and SO2, as well as temperature, cirrus ice, relative humidity with respect to ice, and geopotential height.
The Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) scans the atmospheric column in four channels in the region of 50-60 GHz and provides daily observations of Lower Troposphere Temperature (LTT), Upper Troposphere Temperature (UTT), Lower Stratopshere Temperature (LST) and oceanic Precipitation (OP). The Limb corrections have been applied to the off-nadir observations. MSU has been flown on number of NOAA Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES)since 1979.
The NASA Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI) data
holdings focus on collecting satellite remote sensing data from different
sensors in support of the NEESPI scientific objectives.
The North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) provides
precipitation, land-surface states (e.g., soil moisture and surface
temperature), and fluxes (e.g., radiation and latent and sensible heat fluxes)
by integrating observations from numerous sources combined with land-surface
modeling. Phase 2 of NLDAS comprises hourly data from Jan 1979 to present (with
a 2- to 5-day lag) at 1/8th-degree grid spacing over the contiguous United
States and parts of Canada and Mexico.
The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard the EOS Aura spacecraft (launched July 15, 2004) is a nadir pointing hyper-spectral imaging sensor that provides daily global measurements of earth-atmosphere back scattered radiances in 1560 wavelength bands in the ultraviolet and visible spectral region (264 to 504 nm) at a spatial resolution of 13x24 km. Also once a month, OMI provides measurements in a spatial zoom mode at a resolution of 13 x 12 km. These measurements are used to retrieve column amount of O3, NO2, SO2, and Aerosols (four of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's six criteria pollutants), as well as HCHO, BrO, OClO, Ozone Profiles, Effective Cloud Fraction and Pressure, and Surface Erythemal UV-B Irradiances.
The Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) mission measures the solar radiation incident at the Earth's atmosphere. Data products are available containing the total solar irradiance, and solar spectral irradiance, both at 6 hourly and daily averages.
The Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV), nearly identical to Nimbus-7 SBUV and NOAA SBUV/2 instruments flown on eight space shuttle missions (1989-1996) provided earth-atmosphere backscattered radiances at 12 UV wavelengths between 252-340 nm and solar spectral UV irradiances over the wavelength range 200-406 nm with a resolution of 1.1 nm. Ozone profile, ozone total column, aerosol index, effective scene reflectivity and solar spectral irradiance data retrieved from these observations were used for the validation of satellite measurements.
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The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) has been successfully flown on four satellites (Nimbus-7, Meteor-3, Earth-Probe, and ADEOS) for daily monitoring of regional and global distribution of atmospheric ozone. TOMS has provided almost 30 years (1978-2006) long-term record of atmospheric ozone observations that has helped scientists in understanding the global ozone trend, ozone hole and ozone recovery. Though TOMS was designed for ozone monitoring, it also provided valuable information on the sources of tropospheric aerosols (dust and smoke) and its long-range transport, volcanic SO2, erythemal UV exposure, and effective reflectivity of the earth's surface and clouds.
The TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) instrument package provides information on temperature and humidity profiles, total ozone, clouds and radiation on a global scale. The Pathfinder processing of the data products using fixed algorithms provides a wealth of climatological information. TOVS has been carried aboard NOAA polar orbiting weather satellites since 1978, and continues to the present.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint endeavor between NASA and Japan's National Space Development Agency. It is designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall and the associated release of energy that helps to power the global atmospheric circulation, shaping both global weather and climate.
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The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) data set consists of daily near global (-80 to +80) measurements of atmospheric trace gases, temperature, aerosols and wind profiles, as well as measurements of solar UV spectra and charged particles injected into the Earth's atmosphere.
Atmos Composition
