Arcturus: Greenhouse Gas Baseline Atmospheric Monitoring Station Data

Commissioned in July 2010, this dataset contains atmospheric composition measurements from the 'Arcturus' monitoring station in central Queensland. The station, operated by Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research, measures concentrations of CO2, methane, water vapor, and isotopic signatures, alongside meteorological parameters. Data is intended to act as a reference for monitoring carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) projects.

Use Cases

• Modeling local variations in CO2 and CH4 based on meteorological data and point source emissions.
• Analyzing the isotopic signature of CO2 to differentiate between natural and anthropogenic sources.
• Establishing a high-quality atmospheric baseline for future carbon storage site monitoring.
• Studying greenhouse gas fluxes in a region with cropping, grazing, coal mining, and gas production.

Strengths

• Data is collected by two wavelength scanned cavity ringdown instruments, which suggests high-precision measurements.
• Station is located in a region with diverse potential emission sources (cropping, grazing, coal mining, gas production), providing a complex real-world test case.
• Data is coupled with CSIRO's TAPM (The Air Pollution Model) for analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which are not ideal for direct machine analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research, aggregated by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Direct measurement from a remotely operated atmospheric monitoring station using cavity ringdown spectroscopy and meteorological sensors.

Time Range

Data collection began after the station's commissioning in July 2010.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 06:42:06.761229; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Central Queensland, Australia, at the 'Arcturus' station.