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Description

The CLIMCAPS (Community Long-term Infrared Microwave Coupled Product System) algorithm is used to analyze data from the AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder)/AMSU (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit) instruments aboard the Earth Observing System (EOS) polar-orbiting platform, EOS Aqua. This file contains the fixed Pressure Level product (PLEV) variables derived from the CLIMCAPS algorithm using data. They include including gas mixing ratio profiles, column totals, surface values, tropopause properties, and relative humidity, together with per-field quality flagging. The profiles are specified at the surface and layer boundaries and are estimated from layer amounts using the L2 algorithm

An AIRS granule has been set as 6 minutes of data, 30 footprints cross track by 45 lines along track. There are 240 granules per day, with an orbit repeat cycle of approximately 16 day.

The CLIMCAPS algorithm uses data from the second Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) as a first-guess for the atmospheric state. Because MERRA-2 products typically have a latency from 3 to 7 weeks, so too do the CLIMCAPS products.

Product Summary

Platforms
Aqua
Instruments
AIRS
Spatial Extent

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

Geographic Region
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
GEODETIC
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2002-08-31 to Present
Data Partner
Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (formerly Goddard DAAC), Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/GESDI
Concept ID
C2791404157-GES_DISC
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
1212925
Processing Level
2
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Tropospheric Ozone ,
Tropopause ,
Atmospheric Temperature ,
Surface Temperature ,
Air Temperature ,
Skin Temperature ,
Upper Air Temperature ,
Vertical Profiles ,
Atmospheric Water Vapor ,
Layered Precipitable Water ,
Total Precipitable Water ,
Cloud Properties ,
Cloud Fraction ,
Cloud Top Temperature ,
Precipitation ,
Skin Temperature ,
Ocean Temperature ,
Sea Surface Skin Temperature ,
Specific Humidity ,
Relative Humidity

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

Sounder SIPS: Evan F. Fishbein. (2023). Sounder SIPS: AQUA AIRS IR + MW Level 2: Atmospheric state at Standard Pressure Levels derived from CLIMCAPS V2.1 [Data set]. NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/I8VVYNAZP887 Date Accessed: 2025-12-14

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