MISR Level 2 FIRSTLOOK Aerosol parameters V002

This is the Level 2 FIRSTLOOK Aerosol Product. It contains Aerosol optical depth and particle type, with associated atmospheric data produced using ancillary inputs from the previous time period.

MIL2ASAF_002 is the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Level 2 FIRSTLOOK Aerosol parameters version 2. It contains Aerosol optical depth and particle type, with associated atmospheric data produced using ancillary inputs from the previous time period. Data collection for this product is ongoing.

Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Level 2 Aerosol data products contain various information on the Earth's atmosphere. The aerosol data include tropospheric aerosol optical depth on 17. 6-km centers archived with a compositional model identifier and retrieval residuals, ancillary data including relative humidity, ozone optical depth, stratospheric aerosol optical depth, and retrieval flags. MISR multi-angle imagery will be used to monitor global and regional trends radiatively significant to optical properties (optical depth, single scattering albedo, and size distribution) and amounts (mass loading) of natural and anthropogenic aerosols, including those arising from industrial and volcanic emissions, slash-and-burn agriculture, and desertification. Coupled with MISR's determinations of top-of-atmosphere and surface albedos, these data will measure the global aerosol forcing of the shortwave planetary radiation budget.

The MISR instrument consists of nine push-broom cameras that measure radiance in four spectral bands. Global coverage is achieved in nine days. The cameras are arranged with one camera pointing toward the nadir, four forward, and four aftward. It takes seven minutes for all nine cameras to view the exact surface location. The view angles relative to the surface reference ellipsoid are 0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees. The spectral band shapes are nominally Gaussian, centered at 443, 555, 670, and 865 nm.

MISR is designed to view Earth with cameras in 9 different directions. As the instrument flies overhead, each piece of Earth's surface below is successfully imaged by all nine cameras in 4 wavelengths (blue, green, red, and near-infrared). The goal of MISR is to improve our understanding of the effects of sunlight on Earth and distinguish different types of clouds, particles, and surfaces. Specifically, MISR monitors the monthly, seasonal, and long-term trends in three areas: 1) amount and type of atmospheric particles (aerosols), including those formed by natural sources and by human activities; 2) amounts, types, and heights of clouds, and 3) distribution of land surface cover, including vegetation canopy structure.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field	Value
Maintainer	Earthdata Forum
Last Updated	September 15, 2026, 02:51 (UTC)
Created	April 28, 2025, 04:22 (UTC)
accessLevel	public
bureauCode	{026:00}
catalog_conformsTo	https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
harvest_object_id	cb3f336c-4da8-4d8c-a68b-b962418504b6
harvest_source_id	b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title	Science Discovery Engine
identifier	10.5067/Terra/MISR/MIL2ASAF_L2.002
license	https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified	2026-09-07T22:16:01Z
programCode	{026:000}
publisher	NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC
resource-type	Dataset
source_datajson_identifier	true
source_hash	dba21d6d42c96d6f9bb3667136d021b0a0ad3f39dffc0ebd386289d824f11965
source_schema_version	1.1
spatial	["CARTESIAN", [{"WestBoundingCoordinate": -180, "NorthBoundingCoordinate": 90, "EastBoundingCoordinate": 180, "SouthBoundingCoordinate": -90}]]
temporal	1999-12-18/2026-09-07
theme	{"Earth Science"}