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Full catalog/gnssro_cosmic1_ucar_l2a
gnssro_cosmic1_ucar_l2a·v2.0·dataset

How GPS signals bend through the air to give temperature (COSMIC-1)

GNSS radio occultation L2A bending angle, refractivity, and dry pressure for COSMIC1 as contributed by UCAR, version 2.0 (gnssro_cosmic1_ucar_l2a)
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 2 active
In plain English

What it measures. How much GPS-style radio signals bend as they pass through Earth's atmosphere, which can be turned into temperature, pressure, and water vapor. Each record covers one signal-bending event seen at the edge of the planet.

How it's made. Derived by the COSMIC-1 satellites tracking navigation-satellite signals that graze Earth's atmosphere, then processed by UCAR into bending angle, refractivity, and pressure.

How & where you'd use it. Feeds weather forecasting models with frequent, global atmospheric readings and supports climate and atmosphere research.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › ALTITUDE › GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHTATMOSPHERE › ALTITUDEATMOSPHERE › RADIO OCCULTATION PROFILES › BENDING ANGLEATMOSPHERE › RADIO OCCULTATION PROFILES › REFRACTIVITY

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2006-04-30 → ongoing
  • Measured byCOSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 (GNSS)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • StatusCOMPLETE

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 dataset provides Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Radio Occultation (RO) Bending Angle, Refractivity, and Dry Pressure data from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere & Climate - 1 mission as contributed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Each granule represents a single occultation. GNSS RO is a remote sensing technique that measures the refracted radio signals generated by GNSS satellites and viewed through Earth’s limb. Parameters describing the refraction can be used to infer familiar atmospheric variables such as temperature, pressure and water vapor. The RO technique allows for increased global coverage of temperature and water vapor through the large number of daily observations and as a result plays an important role in the enhancement of Numerical Weather Prediction and other atmospheric-related studies.

Get the data

gnssro_cosmic1_ucar_l2a_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="gnssro_cosmic1_ucar_l2a",
    version="2.0",
    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.