Summary

Description

The Nimbus-7/THIR Level 1 Calibrated Located Radiation Data (CLDT) at 6.7 and 11.5 microns data product contains radiances expressed in units of W/m2/sr measured in the 10.5 - 12.5 (11.5) micron and 6.5 - 7.0 (6.7) micron channels. The data, originally written on IBM 360 machines, were recovered from magnetic 9-track tapes. The data are archived in their original proprietary format. The Nimbus-7 satellite was successfully launched on October 28, 1978. The Temperature-Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR) experiment on Nimbus-7 is basically identical to its predecessors flown on Nimbus-4, -5 and -6, except that the data were digitized on board. The THIR instrument is a two channel high resolution scanning radiometer designed to perform two major functions: * 11.5 micron channel provides both day and night cloud top or surface temperatures. The ground resolution at the sub-point is 6.7 km and operates day and night. * 6.7 micron channel gives information on the moisture content of the upper troposphere and stratosphere and the location of jet streams and frontal systems. The water vapor channel has a resolution of the sub-point is 20 km and operates mostly at night. The THIR Principal Investigator was Dr. Larry L. Stowe from NOAA NESDIS. The Nimbus-7 THIR data are available from October 30, 1979 (day of year 303) through May 13, 1985 (day of year 133). These data were previously archived at NASA NSSDC under the entry ID ESAD-00107 (old id: 78-098A-10C).