This dataset collection contains various versions of the STFC RAL Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) methane dataset , which contains height-resolved and column-averaged volume mixing ratios of atmospheric methane (CH4). The dataset also includes column-averaged water vapour (H2O), a scale factor for the HDO (water vapour isotopologue) volume mixing ratio profile, surface temperature, effective cloud fraction, effective cloud-top pressure and scale factors for two systematic residual spectra which are jointly retrieved from the spectral range 1232.25-1290.00 cm-1 by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) IASI optimal estimation methane retrieval scheme. The dataset also contains selected a priori values and uncertainties adopted in the optimal estimation scheme and retrieval output diagnostics such as the retrieval cost and the averaging kernels.

Data were produced by the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Remote Sensing Group (RSG) at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL).

The development of the STFC RAL methane retrieval was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through its National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) with additional funding from EUMETSAT.