Arcturus: Greenhouse Gas Baseline Atmospheric Monitoring Station Data

A prototype atmospheric monitoring station named 'Arcturus' was commissioned in central Queensland in July 2010 by Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research. The station measures concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and the isotopic signature of CO2, alongside meteorological parameters like wind speed and direction. Data is intended to act as a reference for monitoring carbon capture and storage sites 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 contributions of natural vs. anthropogenic sources using isotopic signature (?13C) data
• Benchmarking atmospheric monitoring for carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) projects
• Studying greenhouse gas fluxes in regions with mixed land use like cropping, grazing, and mining

Strengths

• Data is collected by two wavelength scanned cavity ringdown instruments, suggesting high-precision measurements
• Station is located in a region with diverse potential emission sources (cropping, grazing, coal mining, gas production)
• 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 is presented in PDF and HTML formats, which are not ideal for direct machine analysis

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Collected by a remotely operated atmospheric monitoring station using cavity ringdown instruments.

Time Range

Monitoring began in July 2010; specific end date is unknown.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 18:07:29.900397; freshness should be verified

Geography

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