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Full catalog/AIRS2CCF_NRT
AIRS2CCF_NRT·v7.0·dataset

Cloud-cleared infrared readings, near real-time (Aqua)

Aqua/AIRS L2 Near Real Time (NRT) Cloud-Cleared Infrared Radiances (AIRS-only) V7.0 at GES DISC
land NASA GES_DISC Level 2 active
In plain English

What it measures. Calibrated infrared readings from the AIRS sounder with cloud effects removed, channel by channel, so they reflect clear-sky conditions. This near-real-time version is produced quickly and skips some refinements.

How it's made. Produced from the AIRS infrared spectrometer on NASA's Aqua satellite, processed fast (within about three hours) to meet near-real-time needs, using predicted rather than final orbit data.

How & where you'd use it. A low-level input feeding rapid weather and atmospheric analysis; most people use it through higher-level temperature and humidity products rather than directly.

What's measured

SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › INFRARED WAVELENGTHS › INFRARED RADIANCE › CLOUD-CLEARED INFRARED RADIANCE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2002-08-30 → ongoing
  • Measured byAqua (AIRS)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Track deforestation, fire scars and land-cover change
  • Monitor crop and vegetation health (NDVI/EVI)
  • Map how built-up vs. green an area is over time
Official description

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) Level 2 Near Real Time (NRT) Cloud-Cleared Infrared Radiances (AIRS-only) product (AIRS2CCF_NRT_7.0) differs from the routine product (AIRS2CCF_7.0) in four ways to meet the three hour latency requirements of the Land Atmosphere NRT Capability Earth Observing System (LANCE): (1) The NRT granules are produced without previous or subsequent granules if those granules are not available within 5 minutes, (2) the predictive ephemeris/attitude data are used rather than the definitive ephemeris/attitude, (3) if the forecast surface pressure is unavailable, a surface climatology is used, and (4) no ice cloud properties retrievals are performed. The consequences of these differences are described in the AIRS Near Real Time (NRT) data products document. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is a grating spectrometer (R = 1200) aboard the second Earth Observing System (EOS) polar-orbiting platform, EOS Aqua. In combination with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB), AIRS constitutes an innovative atmospheric sounding group of visible, infrared, and microwave sensors. This product is produced using AIRS IR only because the radiometric noise in AMSU channel 4 started to increase significantly (since June 2007). Cloud-Cleared Radiances contain calibrated, geolocated channel-by-channel AIRS infrared radiances (milliWatts/m2/cm-1/steradian) that would have been observed within each AMSU footprint if there were no clouds in the FOV and produced along with the AIRS Standard Product, as they are the radiances used to retrieve the Standard Product. Nevertheless, they are an order of magnitude larger in data volume than the remainder of the Standard Products and, many Standard Product users are expected to have little interest in the Cloud Cleared Radiance. For these reasons they are a separate output file. The AIRS2CCF_NRT_7.0 products are stored in files (often referred to as "granules") that contain 6 minutes of data, 30 footprints across track by 45 lines along track.

Get the data

airs2ccf_nrt_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="AIRS2CCF_NRT",
    version="7.0",
    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.