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Data for new versions of SMAP Level-1, -2, and -3 data sets are currently available from 27 August 2020 onward. Data since 31 March 2015 will become available as they are reprocessed.
Antenna scan angle (ASA) errors affected a large number of data files between 05 Oct and 23 Nov 2019, as well as a handful of dates within 2020 (04 and 05 Feb, 09 Apr, 30 May, and 18 Jun). The bad data are not currently identified by data quality flags. The ASA errors disrupt the proper geolocation of half-orbits, which may be off by as much as 99 km in the along scan direction. The affected half-orbits are in the Version 5 SPL1BTB product (specifically half-orbits 24977.5 - 25691, 26765 - 26781, 27709 - 27713, 28458~28459, and 28733.5 – 28739.5), but the most recent version of all upstream products are similarly impacted. The cause of the ASA errors has been identified and all affected products will be reprocessed. This reprocessing is scheduled to begin in March, 2021.
Data Set ID: 
SPL1BTB

SMAP L1B Radiometer Half-Orbit Time-Ordered Brightness Temperatures, Version 5

This Level-1B (L1B) product provides calibrated estimates of time-ordered geolocated brightness temperatures measured by the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) passive microwave radiometer. SMAP L-band brightness temperatures are referenced to the Earth's surface with undesired and erroneous radiometric sources removed.

This is the most recent version of these data.

Version Summary: 

Changes to this version include:
- An improved calibration methodology was applied to Level-1 brightness temperatures, which uses:
* the internal instrument reference load (instead of the global ocean as in V4)
* deep space measurements during monthly cold sky maneuvers and special cold sky maneuvers with stable open-ocean background to concurrently retrieve all calibration parameters
* a longer temporal baseline of cold sky records.

For the full major and minor version history, go to https://nsidc.org/data/smap/data_versions.

COMPREHENSIVE Level of Service

Data: Data integrity and usability verified; data customization services available for select data

Documentation: Key metadata and comprehensive user guide available

User Support: Assistance with data access and usage; guidance on use of data in tools and data customization services

See All Level of Service Details

Parameter(s):
  • MICROWAVE > ANTENNA TEMPERATURE
  • MICROWAVE > ANTENNA TEMPERATURE > BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE
Data Format(s):
  • HDF5
Spatial Coverage:
N: 86.4, 
S: -86.4, 
E: 180, 
W: -180
Platform(s):SMAP
Spatial Resolution:
  • 47 km x 36 km
Sensor(s):SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER
Temporal Coverage:
  • 31 March 2015
Version(s):V5
Temporal Resolution49 minuteMetadata XML:View Metadata Record
Data Contributor(s):Piepmeier, J. R., P. Mohammed, J. Peng, E. J. Kim, G. De Amici, J. Chaubell, and C. Ruf.

Geographic Coverage
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Download Via HTTPS: An Earthdata Login account is required to access these data.

Once you have logged in, you will be able to click and download files via a Web browser. There are also options for downloading via a command line or client. For more detailed instructions, please see Options Available for Bulk Downloading Data from HTTPS with Earthdata Login.

Earthdata Search: This application allows you to search, visualize, and access data across thousands of Earth science data sets. Additional customization services are available for select data sets, including subsetting, reformatting, and reprojection.

Worldview: This application allows you to interactively browse global satellite imagery within hours of it being acquired. You can also save it, share it, and download the underlying data.

Subscription Service: Subscribe to have new data automatically delivered to you as they become available at NSIDC. Subscriptions apply only to future data as they are delivered to NSIDC; they cannot be used to receive data already in NSIDC's archive.

As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set using the following citation. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.

Piepmeier, J. R., P. Mohammed, J. Peng, E. J. Kim, G. De Amici, J. Chaubell, and C. Ruf. 2020. SMAP L1B Radiometer Half-Orbit Time-Ordered Brightness Temperatures, Version 5. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.5067/ZHHBN1KQLI20. [Date Accessed].

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FAQ

What are the latencies for SMAP radiometer data sets?
The following table describes both the required and actual latencies for the different SMAP radiometer data sets. Latency is defined as the time (# days, hh:mm:ss) from data acquisition to product generation. Short name Title Latency Required Actual (mean1) SPL1AP SMAP L1A... read more
How do I convert an HDF5/HDF-EOS5 file into binary format?
To convert HDF5 files into binary format you will need to use the h5dump utility, which is part of the HDF5 distribution available from the HDF Group. How you install HDF5 depends on your operating system. Full instructions for installing and using h5dump on Mac/Unix and... read more

How To

Programmatic Data Access Guide
Data from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) can be accessed directly from our HTTPS file system or through our Application Programming Interface (API). Our API offers you the ability to order data using specific temporal and spatial filters... read more
How to learn more about SMAP ancillary data
SMAP Ancillary data sets are used to produce SMAP Level-1, -2, -3, and -4 standard data products. Several of these ancillary data sets are produced by external organizations, such as NOAA, the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation... read more
Visualize NSIDC data as WMS layers with ArcGIS and Google Earth
NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) provides up to date, full resolution imagery for selected NSIDC DAAC data sets. ... read more
Filter and order from a data set web page
Many NSIDC data set web pages provide the ability to search and filter data with spatial and temporal contstraints using a map-based interface. This article outlines how to order NSIDC DAAC data using advanced searching and filtering.  Step 1: Go to a data set web page This article will use the... read more
Visualize and download NSIDC DAAC data with NASA Worldview
NASA Worldview uses the Global Imagery Browse Service (GIBS) to provide up to date, full resolution imagery for select NSIDC DAAC data sets (see attachments below). The map interface allows users to... read more
NSIDC DAAC Data Subscription Requests
This page explains the information we need to process your subscription request. If you are interested in setting up a data subscription, please send a request with the Required fields indicated below to... read more
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Email: nsidc@nsidc.org