GOZCARDS HCl: Satellite-Based Hydrogen Chloride Zonal Averages on a Pressure Grid

Zonal mean hydrogen chloride (HCl) concentrations derived from three satellite instruments: HALOE (1991-2005), ACE-FTS (2004-onward), and Aura MLS (2004-onward). The data includes statistical information like standard deviation and minimum/maximum values, mapped on a vertical pressure grid from 147 to 0.5 hPa. This source dataset is produced by NASA and is distributed in netCDF4 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in stratospheric hydrogen chloride based on multi-instrument satellite records.
• Validating atmospheric chemistry models using zonal mean HCl concentrations on a pressure grid.
• Studying the spatial distribution of HCl across latitude bands using the provided zonal averages.
• Investigating instrument intercomparison and data merging techniques for the HALOE, ACE-FTS, and Aura MLS sources.

Strengths

• Combines data from three established satellite instruments (HALOE, ACE-FTS, Aura MLS) providing a multi-decade record.
• Includes derived statistical metrics like standard deviation and minimum/maximum values alongside zonal means.
• Provides vertical profile data on a defined pressure grid from 147 to 0.5 hPa.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific modeling tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Calculated from original Level 2 satellite instrument data.

Time Range

1991 onward, with instrument-specific coverage (HALOE: 1991-2005, ACE-FTS & Aura MLS: 2004-onward).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:31:05.619874; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, aggregated into 10-degree latitude zonal bands.