Full snapshot of atmosphere, clouds and surface (Suomi-NPP)
What it measures. A full vertical snapshot of the atmosphere over each spot the sensor passes: temperature, water vapor, cloud properties, surface conditions, and a range of trace gases at different heights. Note: the carbon monoxide variable 'co_mmr_midtrop' has a known conversion error and should be multiplied by 28.01/44.01 to correct it.
How it's made. Built from the paired infrared (CrIS) and microwave (ATMS) sounders on the Suomi-NPP satellite, processed through the CLIMCAPS algorithm that turns the raw light readings into temperature, gas, and cloud profiles.
How & where you'd use it. Useful for tracking weather patterns, air quality, and climate trends, and for feeding atmospheric data into research and forecasting models.
What's measured
Coverage & cadence
- Time span2015-11-02 → 2021-05-21
- Measured bySuomi-NPP (CrIS, ATMS)
- 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
WARNING: To users of the derived product “co_mmr_midtrop” (carbon monoxide mass mixing ratio to dry air [kg/kg] at ~500 hPa). This variable has a significant bias due to a conversion error: the molecular weight of carbon dioxide (CO2, 44.01 g/mol) was used instead of carbon monoxide (CO, 28.01 g/mol). To correct, simply multiply “co_mmr_midtrop” by 28.01/44.01. Alternatively, derive a profile of mass mixing ratio from scratch using the retrieved column density values (“mol_lay/co_mol_lay”) in the Level 2 files. For further questions or concerns please contact the Sounder SIPS at: sounder.sips@jpl.nasa.gov The CLIMCAPS (Community Long-term Infrared Microwave Coupled Product System) algorithm is used to analyze data from the Cross-track Infrared Sounder/Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (CrIS/ATMS) instruments, also known as CrIMSS (Cross-track Infrared and Microwave Sounding Suite). The CrIS/ATMS instruments used for this product are on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) platform and use the Full Spectral Resolution (FSR) data. The CrIS instrument is a Fourier transform spectrometer with a total of 2211 FSR infrared sounding channels covering the longwave (645-1095 cm-1), midwave (1210-1750 cm-1), and shortwave (2000-2550 cm-1) spectral regions. The ATMS instrument is a cross-track scanner with 22 channels in spectral bands from 23 GHz through 183 GHz. The CLIMCAPS algorithm uses an Optimal Estimation methodology and uses an a-priori first guess to start the process. A CLIMCAPS sounding is comprised of a set of parameters that characterizes the full atmospheric state and includes a variety of geophysical parameters derived from the CrIMSS data. These include surface temperature and infrared emissivity; full atmosphere profiles of temperature, water vapor and ozone; infrared effective cloud top characteristics; carbon monoxide, methane, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and nitric acid. A level 2 granule has been set as 6 minutes of data, 30 footprints cross track by 45 lines along track. There are 240 granules per day, with an orbit repeat cycle of approximately 16 day. The CLIMCAPS algorithm uses data from the second Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) as a first-guess for the atmospheric state. Because MERRA-2 products typically have a latency from 3 to 7 weeks, so too do the CLIMCAPS products.
Get the data
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc") # free Earthdata Login
results = earthaccess.search_data(
short_name="SNDRSNIML2CCPRET",
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 GES_DISC Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package. Official links
- Access the data via HTTPS. GET DATA
- Access the data via the OPeNDAP protocol. USE SERVICE API
- CLIMCAPS L2 Product User Guide:File Format and Definition VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- CLIMCAPS ATBD VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- Product quality assessment guide VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- CLIMCAPS Science Application Guide (Digital version) VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- CLIMCAPS Science Application Guide VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- Use the Earthdata Search to find and retrieve data sets across multiple data centers. GET DATA