ATMOSL2TF: Atmospheric Trace Gas Profiles from Four Shuttle Missions

Vertical concentration profiles for over 30 atmospheric trace gases, including ozone-depleting molecules, are reported on a potential temperature grid. The data were collected by the ATMOS infrared spectrometer during four NASA space shuttle missions between 1985 and 1994. Files contain measurements for species like H2O, CO2, O3, N2O, CH4, HCl, and CFCs across 53 vertical levels from 280 to 3950 K.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical distribution of ozone-depleting chlorine and fluorine compounds based on listed species like HCl, CCl2F2, and CCl3F.
• Study diurnal variations in nitrogen oxides based on the inclusion of both diurnally and non-diurnally corrected NO and NO2 data.
• Model atmospheric transport and chemistry using profiles of over 30 trace gases reported across 53 potential temperature levels.
• Compare trace gas concentrations across different time periods using data from four distinct shuttle missions.
• Validate satellite retrievals or climate models with in-situ vertical concentration data for key greenhouse gases like CO2, CH4, and N2O.

Strengths

• Includes measurements for over 30 distinct trace gas species, as listed in the description.
• Data spans four separate space shuttle missions from 1985 to 1994, providing multiple observational periods.
• Vertical profiles are reported at 53 specific levels from 280 to 3950 K on a potential temperature grid.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data collection ended in 1994; the dataset does not include recent atmospheric measurements.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) Fourier transform interferometer on space shuttle missions.

Time Range

April 30, 1985 to November 12, 1994

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 08:52:22.945266; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, based on shuttle mission orbits.