Installation Report for Arcturus (ARA): An inland baseline station for the continuous meas

An atmospheric greenhouse gas monitoring station began operation in July 2010 near Emerald, Queensland. The station was established by Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research to provide a high-precision baseline for a geological carbon dioxide storage region. The site at Arcturus, 50 km southeast of Emerald, records signals influenced by local agriculture, cattle production, and gas and coal activities.

Use Cases

• Establishing regional atmospheric baselines for carbon storage projects based on the station's purpose as a reference for monitoring.
• Testing new greenhouse gas monitoring technology based on the station's primary purpose as a field test facility.
• Analyzing the influence of agricultural and industrial activities on atmospheric GHG levels based on the description of local influences.
• Supporting atmospheric modelling for carbon storage site selection based on the site selection criteria described.

Strengths

• Station began operation in July 2010, providing a long-term record.
• Site selection was based on multiple criteria including regional atmospheric modelling and stakeholder consultation.
• Data is intended for high-precision measurement of baseline greenhouse gases.

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 and source bias inherent to a single monitoring station in Queensland's Central Highlands.

Provenance

Source

Collaborative project between Geoscience Australia (GA) and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR).

Collection Method

Continuous measurement from a fixed inland baseline station.

Time Range

Data collection began in July 2010.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 03:52:33.995946; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arcturus, 50 km southeast of Emerald in the Central Highlands, Queensland, Australia.