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Full catalog/ML2T_NRT
ML2T_NRT·v005·dataset

Air temperature by altitude, fast delivery (Aura, near real-time)

MLS/Aura Near-Real-Time L2 Temperature V005 (ML2T_NRT) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 2 active
In plain English

What it measures. Air temperature at different heights in the atmosphere, given as vertical profiles. This is a fast-delivery near-real-time version.

How it's made. Derived from the Microwave Limb Sounder on NASA's Aura satellite using a simplified, speedy method so the data are available within about three hours.

How & where you'd use it. Useful for timely atmospheric monitoring, though the rush means somewhat lower accuracy; users should screen it as advised and turn to the standard product for precise analysis.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2021-09-21 → ongoing
  • Measured byAura (MLS)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -82, 180, 82
  • 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

ML2T_NRT is the EOS Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Near-Real-Time (NRT) product for temperature. This product contains temperature profiles derived from the 118 GHz region. The NRT data are typically available within 3 hours of observation and are broken into files containing about 15 minutes of data. The most recent 7 days of data are available online. Spatial coverage is near-global (-82 degrees to +82 degrees latitude), with each profile spaced 1.5 degrees or ~165 km along the orbit track (roughly 15 orbits per day). The vertical coverage is from 215 to 0.001 hPa. The MLS NRT algorithm uses a simplified fast forward model to meet Near Real Time data latency requirements and are therefore not as accurate as the retrievals that constitute the standard MLS products. Nevertheless the results are scientifically useful in selected regions of the Earth's atmosphere provided that the data are screened according to the recommendations in the MLS NRT User Guide and the MLS L2 Data Quality Document for Standard Products.

Get the data

ml2t_nrt_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="ML2T_NRT",
    version="005",
    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.