BUV/Nimbus-4: Ozone Zonal Means from 1970-1977

The BUV/Nimbus-4 Level 3 Ozone Zonal Means dataset contains total ozone, reflectivities, and ozone mixing ratios averaged in 10-degree latitude zones from 80 to -80 degrees. Mixing ratios are provided at 19 pressure levels from 0.3 to 100 mbar, with files including monthly, weekly, daily, and quarterly means, plus standard deviation, minimum, maximum, and sample size. The data were collected by NASA's Nimbus-4 satellite BUV instrument from April 1970 to May 1977.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical ozone depletion trends based on zonal means from 1970-1977
• Validate atmospheric chemistry models based on ozone mixing ratios at 19 pressure levels
• Study latitudinal ozone distribution based on data averaged in 10-degree zones
• Assess data variability based on included standard deviation, minimum, and maximum values

Strengths

• Data spans a specific time range from April 1970 to May 1977
• Includes statistical measures like standard deviation, minimum, maximum, and sample size
• Provides ozone mixing ratios at 19 distinct pressure levels

Limitations

• Data collection became increasingly sparse after July 1972 due to a satellite power failure
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the BUV instrument on the Nimbus-4 satellite, originally archived on magnetic tapes and restored to disk.

Time Range

April 1970 to May 1977

Geography

Global, averaged in 10-degree latitude zones from 80 to -80 degrees.