ATom Aircraft Measurements of CO2, CH4, and CO Mixing Ratios

This dataset provides atmospheric mixing ratios of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) collected during the four Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) airborne campaigns. Measurements were made using a specially modified Picarro G2401 spectrometer employing Wavelength-Scanned Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (WS-CRDS) across a wide pressure altitude range. The data was produced by NASA and covers campaigns conducted from 2016 to 2018.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical and horizontal distribution of CO2, CH4, and CO across remote ocean and polar regions using the time-series measurements.
• Studying the correlation between different greenhouse gas species (CO2, CH4) and the air quality indicator (CO) to identify combustion sources.
• Validating and improving global atmospheric chemistry and transport models with in-situ airborne observations from the ATom mission.
• Investigating seasonal and interannual variability in atmospheric composition across the four distinct ATom campaign periods.

Strengths

• Data covers four distinct ATom campaigns, providing a multi-year temporal scope from 2016 to 2018.
• Measurements were made with a high-precision Picarro G2401 spectrometer, modified for the full pressure altitude range encountered during flights.
• The dataset's presence on multiple government platforms (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata) indicates its importance and curation for the scientific community.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source, limiting initial assessment of data structure.
• There is a conflict in reported freshness: Data.gov lists a last updated date of 2026-03-13, which is in the future relative to the data collection end date, while NASA Earthdata lists 2018-05-21.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Airborne in-situ measurements using a modified Picarro G2401 spectrometer with Wavelength-Scanned Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (WS-CRDS).

Time Range

2016-2018 (span of the four ATom campaigns)

Freshness

2026-03-13 08:37:17.131434 (Data.gov); note this is a future date and conflicts with the NASA Earthdata update of 2018-05-21.

Geography

Global, with a focus on remote ocean and polar regions, as per the ATom mission design.