Global Stratospheric Aerosol Climatology With 40-Year Coverage

GloSSAC Version 2.0 is a global, gap-free climatology of stratospheric aerosol properties. The dataset spans either 38 or 40 years, synthesizing measurements from the SAGE instrument series, OSIRIS, CALIPSO, and other space-based, ground-based, air, and balloon-borne instruments. It is produced by NASA's LARC ASDC and focuses on aerosol extinction coefficients at 525 nm and 1020 nm.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in stratospheric aerosol optical depth and extinction.
• Studying the global dispersion and impact of major volcanic eruptions on the stratosphere.
• Validating and initializing climate models with observed aerosol extinction coefficients at 525 nm and 1020 nm.
• Investigating the seasonal and latitudinal variability of stratospheric aerosol properties.

Strengths

• Provides a continuous, gap-free global record synthesized from multiple instrument platforms.
• Covers a multi-decade period, enabling analysis of long-term trends and volcanic event impacts.
• Integrates data from key satellite instruments like SAGE, OSIRIS, and CALIPSO for consistency.

Limitations

• Sources conflict on the exact temporal coverage, citing either 38 or 40 years.
• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided in the available metadata.

Provenance

Source

NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (LARC ASDC).

Collection Method

Synthesized from space-based (SAGE, OSIRIS, CALIPSO) and supplemental ground-based, air, and balloon-borne instrument measurements.

Time Range

Approximately 40 years (conflict: one source states 38 years).

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:07:36.752550

Geography

Global.