ATom Airborne Greenhouse Gas Measurements from Quantum Cascade Laser System

Harvard Quantum Cascade Laser System instruments measured atmospheric concentrations of CO2, CH4, CO, and N2O during NASA's Atmospheric Tomography airborne campaigns. The dataset includes in situ measurements from two separate optical assemblies and calibration systems. Data is provided by ORNL_CLOUD and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the global distribution and variability of CO2, CH4, CO, and N2O in the remote atmosphere.
• Validating and improving atmospheric chemistry and transport models using in situ airborne observations.
• Investigating correlations between different trace gas species to understand common sources or atmospheric processes.
• Studying seasonal and spatial gradients of greenhouse gases across ocean basins and atmospheric altitudes.

Strengths

• Provides simultaneous, in situ measurements of four critical atmospheric trace gases (CO2, CH4, CO, N2O).
• Data originates from NASA's ATom mission, a major global-scale airborne atmospheric sampling campaign.
• Uses a precise measurement technique based on quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2018-05-21 and others listing 2026-03-13.

Provenance

Source

NASA Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) mission, Harvard Quantum Cascade Laser System (QCLS) instruments.

Collection Method

Airborne in situ measurements using thermoelectrically cooled pulsed-quantum cascade lasers and multiple pass absorption cells.

Time Range

Duration of the ATom mission airborne campaigns (specific years not provided).

Freshness

2026-03-13 08:25:13.363250

Geography

Global, from airborne campaigns over ocean basins and remote atmospheres.