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Full catalog/AER_DBDT_M10KM_L3_VIIRS_NOAA20
AER_DBDT_M10KM_L3_VIIRS_NOAA20·v001·dataset

Haze, dust and smoke in the air, monthly (NOAA-20)

NOAA20 VIIRS High Resolution Level 3 monthly aerosol data, 0.1x0.1 degree grid Version 001 (AER_DBDT_M10KM_L3_VIIRS_NOAA20) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 3 active
In plain English

What it measures. Monthly global maps of how much haze, dust, and smoke hangs in the air (a measure called aerosol optical depth), at a fine 0.1-degree grid. Higher values mean murkier, more particle-filled skies.

How it's made. Created from the VIIRS instrument on the NOAA-20 satellite by combining two retrieval methods (Deep Blue and Dark Target), keeping only the highest-quality readings, and averaging them into monthly grids.

How & where you'd use it. Used to track air quality, study dust and smoke transport, and monitor how much sunlight aerosols block, with options to choose data from either method or a blend.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › AEROSOLS › AEROSOL OPTICAL DEPTH/THICKNESS

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2018-02-01 → ongoing
  • Measured byNOAA-20 (VIIRS)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-179.95, -89.95, 179.95, 89.95
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

This High-Resolution (0.1 x 0.1 degree) Level 3 monthly Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) product is generated by combining two Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) operational algorithms, namely Deep Blue (DB) and Dark Target (DT), on board the NOAA-20 satellite. This dataset is provided in monthly files ranging from February 2018 to the present. The spatial coverage is global and the dataset is gridded at 0.1 x 0.1 degree spatial resolution. The data are generated using Level 2 AOD retrieved using DT and DB algorithms. The product provides multiple options for using data either from DT or DB or combined. Depending on user need and application, they can choose one or more relevant parameter. The pixels with highest quality as recommended by science teams are only considered in these averaging. In addition to averaged AOD at 0.1 x 0.1 degree resolution, standard deviation and number of pixels averaged from each algorithm are also provided. Average sensor zenith angle is also provided for additional filtering of the data. If you have any questions, please read the README document first and post your question to the NASA Earthdata Forum (forum.earthdata.nasa.gov) or email the GES DISC Help Desk (gsfc-dl-help-disc@mail.nasa.gov).

Get the data

aer_dbdt_m10km_l3_viirs_noaa20_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="AER_DBDT_M10KM_L3_VIIRS_NOAA20",
    version="001",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GES_DISC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.