Validation of version 6 retrievals of AIRS temperature, water vapor and cloud data

Since September 2002, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS-Aqua platform has globally retrieved atmospheric profile information from nadir viewing of infrared emittance. Using cloud-clearing techniques, roughly 300,000 observations are made each day on a 45 km horizontal resolution. We present preliminary validation and information content results for the Version 6 release of the data for temperature, water vapor, and cloud data using a combination of profiles from operational radiosondes and sondes specifically launched for comparison with AIRS.