AIRS

Frequently Asked Questions


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Q.  Regarding "pressH2O" and "pressStd" values: Are these the bottom,
middle, or top of the layer?   

A.  See document V5_L2_Levels_Layes_Trapezoids.pdf pages 8 and 9

Level quantities (i.e. TAIRStd) are values at the pressure level upon
which they are reported.

Layer quantities (i.e. H2OMMRStd, H2OCDSup) are mean values for the
layer and are reported on the pressure level that bounds the layer at
the bottom (i.e., closest to the surface of the Earth).

You will note that pressH2O is a subset of pressStd, whose lowest
pressure value is 50 mb.

Beware...the standard pressure levels (pressStd and pressH2O) are
ordered from highest pressure to lowest pressure, whereas the support
pressure levels (pressSup) are ordered in the reverse sense.

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