1. Introduction

1. Introduction

This user guide is intended to support the users of EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) IASI Level 2 products. It provides information about the products available, how to access them, how to extract and interpret the data, and it also aims to help the user in choosing a product for a particular application.

In Appendix A, a full list of EPS products generated at EUMETSAT is given. The products that will be addressed in this guide are:

• IASI Level 2 full product:
  • Temperature profiles
  • Humidity profiles
  • Columnar ozone amounts in thick layers
  • Surface temperature
  • Surface emissivity
  • Fractional cloud cover
  • Cloud top temperature
  • Cloud top pressure
  • Cloud phase
  • Total column N₂O
  • Total column CO
  • Total column CH₄
  • Total column CO₂
  • Error covariance matrix
  • Processing and quality flags
  
  
• IASI Level 2 GTS product:
  • Temperature profiles
  • Humidity profiles
  • Surface temperature
  
  
• IASI Level 2Pcore product:
  • Skin sea surface temperature
  • Uncertainty estimates
  • Quality levels and flags
  • Wind speed

The above products are generated by the EPS Core Ground Segment from instruments on board the Metop platforms. Note that EUMETSAT generates Level 2 from IASI Level 1c products, which are also generated and distributed to users. If you are interested in IASI Level 1c radiance products, their processing, formats, dissemination means and applications, you might want to check the IASI Level 1 Product Guide instead.

For further questions not addressed in this guide, on these or other EPS products, you are welcome to access the EUMETSAT Polar System pages on our website www.eumetsat.int, or to contact directly the EUMETSAT User Services Helpdesk. These pages should be the main interface for information on access to all EPS products.

Comprehensive information on the NWP SAF and their products and activities can also be found on the EUMETSAT website and on the relevant SAF webpage www.nwpsaf.org.