Sharon Ray, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

May 4, 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. AIRS is a hyperspectral infrared sounder built by BAE Systems under the direction of JPL, and is one of six instruments flying on Aqua as part of NASA's Earth Observing System. AIRS, along with its partner microwave instrument, the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A), measures atmospheric temperature, water vapor, clouds and greenhouse gases with exceptional accuracy.

Over the past decade, AIRS and AMSU-A have provided researchers with data that are improving our understanding of Earth's global water and energy cycles, climate change and trends, and the climate system's response to increased greenhouse gases.

Studies have shown that AIRS has improved global weather prediction more than any other single satellite instrument in the past 10 years. It produced the first global maps from space of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and has confirmed water vapor feedback estimates from previous models and observations. AIRS has over 10,000 users worldwide that are affiliated with operational weather prediction, research in climate processes, atmospheric composition, and environmental conditions affecting human health.

AIRS Top Five Significant Science Findings

1. The unprecedented accuracy and stability of AIRS radiance measurements are ideal for climate studies
2. Data from AIRS was used to confirm water vapor feedback estimates from previous models and observations
3. AIRS produced the first global map from space of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide concentrations
4. AIRS has improved climate models through new datasets and novel evaluation methods
5. AIRS has improved global weather prediction more than any other single satelliteinstrument in the past 10 years

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News release: "A NASA Weather 'Eye in the Sky' Marks 10 Years"

Feature story: "The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder on NASA's Aqua Satelite: Looking Back on Ten Years of Contributions to Weather and Climate Science"

Image galleries: JPL Photojournal, GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio

Video: Aqua AIRS: Visions of Weather and Climate