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Full catalog/AERDB_M3_VIIRS_SNPP
AERDB_M3_VIIRS_SNPP·v2·dataset

Haze, dust and smoke in the air (VIIRS, Suomi-NPP, monthly)

VIIRS/SNPP Deep Blue Level 3 monthly aerosol data 1x1 degree grid
atmosphere NASA LAADS Level 3 active netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. Monthly maps of tiny airborne particles such as haze, dust, and smoke (collectively called aerosols), summarized on a 1-degree global grid.

How it's made. Averaged up from daily aerosol maps made by the VIIRS instrument on the Suomi-NPP satellite using NASA's 'Deep Blue' method, requiring at least three valid days before a monthly value counts.

How & where you'd use it. Useful for tracking air quality, dust storms, and smoke over time, and for studying how particles affect climate and health.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › AEROSOLS › AEROSOL OPTICAL DEPTH/THICKNESSATMOSPHERE › AEROSOLS › AEROSOL OPTICAL DEPTH/THICKNESS › ANGSTROM EXPONENT

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2012-03-01 → ongoing
  • Measured bySuomi-NPP (VIIRS)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsnetCDF-4
  • 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

The VIIRS/SNPP Deep Blue Level 3 monthly aerosol data, 1x1 degree grid, Short-name AERDB_M3_VIIRS_SNPP product is derived from the Version-2.0 (V2.0) daily L3 gridded products (AERDB_D3_VIIRS_SNPP), and is provided in a 1 x 1 degree horizontal resolution grid. Arithmetic mean values from the daily L3 gridded products also provide the basis to derive a complement of statistics for the monthly aggregated products. To exclude poorly sampled grid elements, the algorithm requires at least 3 valid days’ worth of data to render a given monthly grid element as valid. This monthly product record starts from March1st, 2012. This L3 monthly product, in netCDF format, contains 45 Science Data Set (SDS) layers that are named identical to the SDSs in the daily L3 product. For more information about the product and Science Data Set (SDS) layers, consult [product page](https://ladsweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/missions-and-measurements/products/AERDB_M3_VIIRS_SNPP) or [Deep Blue aerosol team page](https://deepblue.gsfc.nasa.gov).

Get the data

aerdb_m3_viirs_snpp_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="AERDB_M3_VIIRS_SNPP",
    version="2",
    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 LAADS
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.