Version 2.5 Suomi NPP OMPS LP L2 AER Data Product Released

The Version 2.5 aerosol extinction profile data product, or AER, is now available to the public. The AER product consists of daily files containing individual aerosol extinction coefficient profiles retrieved at 6 wavelengths: 510, 600, 675, 745, 869, and 997nm in the 0.5-40 km altitude range. The V2.5 aerosols exhibit significant improvements in OMPS LP retrieval performance during large volcanic eruptions such as the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption. The short-wavelength aerosol profiles at 510, 600, 675, and 745 nm were filtered for unrealistic values (mostly at lower altitudes and large scattering angles).

The cloud detection and classification are also improved to allow the detection of clouds in the presence of enhanced aerosol layers. The PSC cloud detection was also modified to use an MLS-derived climatology of the nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) existence temperature (T_NAT) profile instead of a fixed PSC cloud temperature threshold of 200 K. The daily file now includes three cloud datasets: cloud height, enhanced aerosol height, and PSC height.

The figure above shows the effects of several volcanic eruptions, including Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai (January 2022), which was the largest volcanic eruption seen by OMPS LP. There are also several pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) events, including the largest measured on record, the Australian New Year fires (end of 2019 - beginning of 2020). The top panel is for the extinction coefficient at 22.5 km, and the lower panel is for 18.5 km. Both plots show the high levels of stratospheric aerosol extinction seen during the last five years, with wildfires playing a significant role.

The V2.5 L2 data were subsequently used to generate the Level 3 monthly 5° x 15° gridded multi-wavelength data product.