Arcturus: Greenhouse Gas Baseline Atmospheric Monitoring Data from Central Queensland

In July 2010, Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research commissioned the 'Arcturus' atmospheric monitoring station in central Queensland. The station measures concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), water vapour, the isotopic signature of CO2, and meteorological parameters like wind speed and direction. Data is intended to act as a reference for monitoring carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) sites and to model contributions from natural and anthropogenic sources.

Use Cases

• Modeling local variations in CO2 and CH4 based on the described meteorological and gas concentration measurements.
• Analyzing contributions from natural and anthropogenic sources in the area based on the station's location near agricultural and industrial activities.
• Establishing a baseline reference for future site-based atmospheric monitoring of geological CO2 storage.
• Validating atmospheric pollution models (like CSIRO's TAPM) using the high-quality, multi-parameter time-series data.

Strengths

• Data is collected from a purpose-built, prototype baseline monitoring station designed for high-quality reference.
• Measures multiple parameters including CO2, CH4, water vapour, isotopic signature (?13C), and meteorological data.
• Station is located in a region with diverse potential emission sources (cropping, grazing, coal mining, gas production), providing a realistic test environment.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-05-14 09:06:02.698377; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Collected by the remotely operated 'Arcturus' atmospheric monitoring station using wavelength scanned cavity ringdown instruments.

Time Range

Commissioned in July 2010; specific data collection period is not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 09:06:02.698377

Geography

Central Queensland, Australia, in a region supporting cropping, grazing, cattle feedlotting, coal mining, and gas production.