Background
The Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) is the interface between the Earth’s surface and lowermost 2-3 km atmosphere. Knowing its highly dynamic properties is vital to understand the diurnal, seasonal, and climate-scale variations of Earth’s atmospheric processes and is key to cloud formation and pollution dispersal. Both hyperspectral sounders and Global Navigation Satellite Systems-Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) measure atmospheric temperature and moisture.
Combining hyperspectral sounder data with GNSS-RO data into a merged global product will advance PBL process science and will improve weather forecasting applications. The Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG)-PBL solution will provide a needed low-resolution dataset with current capabilities for requesting agencies as new technical capabilities mature.
Status: In Development
This solution is currently in development, with initial data release expected in mid-2026.
Solution Characteristics
| Products | Threshold (Version 1) | Threshold (Version 1) | Baseline (Version 2) | Baseline (Version 2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input Sources | Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate-2A (COSMIC-2A), Sentinel-6, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO), Spire (Additional RO datasets will likely be included subject to availability) | |||
| Output Variables | Temperature profiles and water vapor profiles at vertical height grids of 100 m within the PBL and above (0 to approximately 3 altitudes) | |||
| Processing Level | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2014-2023 | 2014-2023 | 2006 - Present | 2006 - Present |
| Temporal Sampling | Dependent on GNSS-RO sounding sampling (varies over the time period but up to 10,000 profiles per day globally) | Monthly | Dependent on GNSS-RO sounding sampling (varies over the time period but up to 10,000 profiles per day globally) | Monthly |
| Latency | Potentially real-time processing (exact latency to be determined) | Potentially ~1 month (exact latency to be determined) | Potentially real-time processing (exact latency to be determined) | Potentially ~1 month (exact latency to be determined) |
| Spatial Coverage | Global | Global | Global | Global |
| Spatial Resolution | Horizontal: 50 km Vertical: 200 m | Horizontal: approximately 2 degrees Vertical: approximately 200 m | Horizontal: 15 km Vertical: 200 m | Horizontal: approximately 1 degree Vertical: approximately 200 m |
Societal Impact
The Merged PBL Temperature and Water Vapor products provide accurate 3D profiles of temperature and water vapor in the 2-3 km of the atmosphere closest to Earth's surface, which are essential for weather and air quality forecasting and a variety of applications such as aviation, communications, and defense operations. This work also contributes to an enhanced understanding of PBL as identified in the Decadal Survey.
Solution Resources
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