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AIRS and AMSU: Trace Gases (CO2, CO, CH4, O3...); Level 3

AIRS provides satellite retrieval of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide even under cloudy conditions, without the use of a priori information from models. AIRS retrievals use cloud-cleared thermal IR radiance spectra in the 15 micron band with an accuracy better than 2 ppm. AIRS retrievals have been used to produce global maps of carbon dioxide and other trace gases including ozone, methane, and carbon monoxide.

Key Strengths:

  • Near global coverage with high horizontal and vertical resolutions and frequent sampling

Key Limitations:

  • Inconsistent sampling with latitude
temporal metadataID:

Formats

Timestep

Sub-daily | Daily | Monthly

Data Time Period Extended?

yes, data set is extended

Domain

Global

Spatial Resolution

1x1, 2x2.5, assorted levels

Ocean or Land

Ocean&Land

Missing Data Flag

missing data present

Earth system components and main variables

Atmosphere, CO, Ozone: Tropospheric, Biosphere, CH4-Methane, CO, CO2

Data Access: Please Cite data sources, following the data providers' instructions.

  1. GES DISC Data Access (keyword: AIRS)
  2. AIRS Data (Version 6)

Key Figures

Click the thumbnails to view larger sizes

Thumbnails

Captions
Climate Data Guide Image CO2 for February, 2012 derived from Level 3 version 5.9 AIRS and MSU retrievals. Ascending and descending nodes were combined. Top: average CO2; middle: standard deviation of observations; bottom: the observation count. (Climate Data Guide; D. Shea)
Climate Data Guide Image AIRS sensitivity to carbon dioxide with altitude. Source: http://airs.jpl.nasa.gov/data/about_airs_co2_data/
Climate Data Guide Image CO (carbon monoxide) for ascending and descending nodes of AIRS for February, 2013. (Climate Data Guide; D. Shea)
Climate Data Guide Image CH4 (methane) for ascending and descending nodes of AIRS for February, 2013 at three levels: 51, 60, 67 hPa. (Climate Data Guide; D. Shea)

Cite this page

National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff (Eds). Last modified 14 Oct 2013. "The Climate Data Guide: AIRS and AMSU: Trace Gases (CO2, CO, CH4, O3...); Level 3." Retrieved from https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/airs-and-amsu-trace-gases-co2-co-ch4-o3-level-3.

Acknowledgement of any material taken from this page is appreciated. On behalf of experts who have contributed data, advice, and/or figures, please cite their work as well.

AIRS and AMSU: Trace Gases (CO2, CO, CH4, O3...); Level 3

AIRS provides satellite retrieval of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide even under cloudy conditions, without the use of a priori information from models. AIRS retrievals use cloud-cleared thermal IR radiance spectra in the 15 micron band with an accuracy better than 2 ppm. AIRS retrievals have been used to produce global maps of carbon dioxide and other trace gases including ozone, methane, and carbon monoxide.