Temperature from new Microwave Limb Sounder on Aura (WMS)
Atmospheric temperature as measured by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instrument on NASA's Aura satellite. MLS can simultaneously measure several trace gases and ozone-destroying chemicals in the upper troposphere and photosphere. In this series of animiations we present chlorine monoxide (ClO), hydrogen chloride (HCl), nitric acid (HNO3), ozone (O3), water vapor (H2O) and temperature measurements. These are "first light" data taken when the MLS was operated for the first time.
This animation shows temperature in the atmosphere from August 13 through October 15, 2004. Red represents higher temperatures; blue represents lower temperatures. The spatial resolution is low: each pixel covers an area of 5 degrees longitude by 2 degrees latitude, so the entire world (except for 1 degree at each pole) is covered by the 72x89 pixel images.