Arcturus (ARA): Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Time Series for Geological Storage Baseline

An atmospheric greenhouse gas monitoring station began operation in July 2010 near Emerald, Queensland. The station is part of a collaborative project between Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research to establish a high-precision monitoring facility in a high-priority geological carbon dioxide storage region. Its primary purpose is to field test new monitoring technology and demonstrate best practice for regional baseline atmospheric monitoring.

Use Cases

• Establishing regional atmospheric baselines for CO2 storage projects based on the described purpose.
• Analyzing typical GHG variations in a region influenced by agriculture and industry based on the site description.
• Detecting anomalies near geological storage sites against a background reference based on the stated primary purpose.
• Field testing new GHG monitoring technology based on the project's stated objective.

Strengths

• Data collection began in July 2010, providing a multi-year time series.
• Station location was selected based on regional atmospheric modeling and stakeholder consultation.
• Site 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 may reflect geographic bias inherent to a single Australian monitoring station.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.

Collection Method

Continuous measurement from a dedicated inland baseline station.

Time Range

From July 2010 onward.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 16:12:45.861385; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arcturus, Queensland, Australia, approximately 50 km southeast of Emerald.