Arcturus: Greenhouse Gas Baseline Monitoring Station Data from Central Queensland

Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research jointly commissioned the 'Arcturus' atmospheric composition monitoring station in central Queensland in July 2010. The station measures concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and isotopic signatures, along with meteorological parameters like wind speed and direction. Data is intended to serve as a high-quality reference for monitoring associated with geological carbon storage and to model contributions from natural and anthropogenic sources in the region.

Use Cases

• Modeling local variations in CO2 and CH4 based on meteorological data mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing the isotopic signature of CO2 to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic sources.
• Establishing a baseline for atmospheric monitoring near carbon capture and geological storage sites.
• Studying the impact of regional activities like agriculture, mining, and gas production on greenhouse gas levels.

Strengths

• Data is collected by a purpose-built, remotely operated baseline monitoring station prototype.
• Measures multiple atmospheric components including CO2, CH4, water vapor, and the isotopic signature (?13C) of CO2.
• Meteorological parameters such as wind speed and direction are also recorded, supporting source attribution modeling.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; last metadata update was 2026-04-30.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research

Collection Method

Data collected by a remotely operated atmospheric monitoring station using wavelength scanned cavity ringdown instruments.

Time Range

Monitoring began in July 2010.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 14:43:44.858760; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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