Characteristics of the TOVS Pathfinder Path A Dataset

The TIROS (Television Infrared Observation Satellite) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) Pathfinder Path A dataset is currently a 9-yr dataset, 1985–93, of global fields of surface and atmospheric parameters derived from analysis of HIRS2 and MSU data on theNOAA-9, NOAA-10, NOAA-11,andNOAA-12polar-orbiting operational meteorological satellites. The retrieved fields include land and ocean surface skin temperature, atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles, total atmospheric O₃ burden, cloud-top pressure and radiatively effective fractional cloud cover, outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and longwave cloud radiative forcing, and precipitation estimate. The fields are gridded on a 1° × 1° latitude–longitude grid and stored on a 1-day mean, 5-day mean, and monthly mean basis, with data from each satellite’s local A.M. and P.M. orbits stored separately. Preliminary validation studies of the interannual differences of geophysical parameters derived from the TOVS Pathfinder dataset imply sufficient accuracy for their use both to study atmospheric behavior as well as to validate the ability of general circulation models to reproduce this behavior. The TOVS dataset is particularly suitable for climate studies because surface, atmospheric, cloud, and radiative parameters are all produced simultaneously in an internally consistent manner. Hence, statistical relationships between them will not be impaired by the heterogeneity inherent in data from different sources. In addition, the close agreement of OLR computed from the products with that observed by the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment enables explanation of interannual variability of OLR in terms of the variability of its component parts. The dataset is available for all users through the Goddard Space Flight Center Distributed Active Archive Center.