Arcturus (ARA): Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Baseline Measurements in Queensland

July 2010 marked the start of continuous atmospheric greenhouse gas monitoring at a station near Emerald, Queensland, established by Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research. The Arcturus station provides a regional baseline for detecting anomalies near potential geological carbon dioxide storage sites in the Bowen and Surat basins. Its location was chosen to be representative of local agricultural and industrial activities, which are dominant sources of greenhouse gases in the region.

Use Cases

• Establishing a regional atmospheric baseline for CO2 storage projects based on the station's purpose as a reference.
• Testing new greenhouse gas monitoring technology based on the primary purpose of field testing mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing the influence of agricultural and industrial activities on GHG signals based on the described local ecology of cropping, pasture, cattle, gas, and coal.
• Modeling typical atmospheric variations in prospective storage basins based on the station's role in quantifying background levels.

Strengths

• Data collection began in July 2010, providing a multi-year time series.
• Station location was strategically selected based on regional atmospheric modeling and stakeholder consultation for a high-priority storage region.
• Site infrastructure is described as secure, accessible, and not subject to flooding.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is delivered in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia (GA) and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR), via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Continuous measurement from a high-precision atmospheric monitoring station.

Time Range

From July 2010 onward.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:35:42.919399; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arcturus, 50 km southeast of Emerald in the Central Highlands, Queensland, Australia, within the Bowen Basin region.